Project Map

Lock & Dam No. 25

Location and Description:  This multi-use resource supports an extensive navigation system (made up of 1,200 miles of 9 foot channel and 37 lock and dam sites), a diverse ecosystem (2.7 million acres of habitat supporting hundreds of fish and wildlife species), floodplain agriculture, recreation and tourism. The Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study was completed in Sept 2004 after more than 14 years of intensive study and evaluation of the navigation improvement and ecological restoration needs for the UMR-IWW system for the years 2000-2050. The system is a vital part of our national economy and a valuable ecological resource. The 1,200 miles of 9-foot channel created by the 37 lock and dam sites allow waterway traffic to move from one pool to another providing an integral regional, national, and international transportation network. The system is significant for certain key exports and the Nation's balance of trade. For example, in 2000, the Upper Mississippi River System carried approximately 60 percent of the Nation's corn and 45 percent of the Nation's soybean exports. The UMRS ecosystem consists of 2.7 million acres of bottomland forest, islands, backwaters, side channels and wetlands, all of which support more than 300 species of birds, 57 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles, 150 species of fish, and nearly 50 species of mussels. More than 40 percent of North America's migratory waterfowl and shorebirds depend on the food resources and other life requisites (shelter, nesting habitats, etc.) that the system provides. It also provides boating, camping, hunting, trapping and other recreational opportunities. The resulting study final recommendation includes a program of incremental implementation and comprehensive adaptive management to achieve the dual purposes of ensuring a sustainable natural ecosystem and navigation system. With congressional appropriations for Preconstruction, Engineering and Design (PED) beginning in February 2005, the study team adopted a working title of UMRS Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) to distinguish PED efforts from the Feasibility Study.

Activities in FY 2010 ($6,276k)
- Continued planning and design for remaining small scale and large scale projects that were started in 2005.

ARRA Allocation thru 28 Feb 10 ($0)

Local Sponsor: None