The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District will host two meetings to describe improvements planned for the Westport Island Reach of the Mississippi River.
The reach is just east of Elsberry, Missouri and west of Hardin, Illinois. In the interest of convenience to residents and businesses in the area, meetings are planned for both sides of the river.
The first meeting is Tuesday, July 23, at the American Legion Post in Elsberry, Mo. The second meeting is Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Hardin, Ill. in the City Hall. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m., and will include presentations from engineers and project managers to explain the reasons for the work and expected results.
The proposed work includes construction on ten new river training structures, eight of them submerged along the Illinois and Missouri banks of the river. The river training structures are needed for navigation channel alignment; reducing mechanical dredging requirements, while avoiding negative impact on the existing side channels or surrounding habitats.
Engineers in coordination with environmental and navigation partners have considered 35 design alternatives to meet these criteria, and have agreed on the plan that will be presented at the meetings. The work would be completed in phases beginning in fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2018.
This work was initially coordinated with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, River Industry Action Committee, and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Coordination with the various organizations will continue until completion of the study, and while plans are developed and finalized.
[mappress]
Press Release, July 19, 2013