Spotlight on Mississippi River Upper Pool 4 habitat project

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Paul District hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Bay City, WI, yesterday for a nearly $27 million habitat improvement project, with more than $20 million in contributions from USACE.

The Mississippi River Upper Pool 4 habitat project is one of the first in the nation to use river sand from the Mississippi River navigation channel and backwaters to improve habitat.

Some of the project’s key features include building peninsulas, access dredging, and shoreline protection near Bay City at the head of Lake Pepin.

The improvements will support fish and wildlife habitat, said USACE.

The contractor, LS Marine, Inc., of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, is scheduled to begin construction this summer.