Omaha, Neb. – A draft supplemental environmental assessment to evaluate the impacts of restoring the ecological function of the Tyson Bend shallow water habitat backwater site in Harrison County, Iowa is currently available for public review. This EA specifically evaluates construction activities required to operate and maintain the backwater and associated features without adversely impacting the Missouri River authorized purposes including flood risk management.
The project is needed because excess sedimentation has negatively impacted the river-backwater connection and ecological function of the backwater. Backwaters serve as important nursery areas for a number of native fish and as important foraging habitat for larger fish entering from the main Missouri River channel. In 2012, the Corps completed a project to remove some of the accreted sediment at the backwater entrance to restore the river–backwater connection. Since the 2012 construction, the entrance has continued to experience sedimentation and connection issues and needs to be dredged in order to restore its ecological function.
The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft environmental assessment, which is available for viewing at: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Planning/Project-Reports/. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AC; ATTN: Tyson Bend SWH; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments can also be emailed to: cenwo-planning@usace.army.mil. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than August 25, 2017.
Release no. 17-071