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In late November 1993, discussions at the Environmental Management Technical Center concerning the addition of an initiative in the area of sediment transport and deposition led to the inclusion of a new work unit in the FY 1994 Annual Work Plan. This work unit was to form a Sediment Transport/ Geomorphology Working Group to develop a detailed set of initial tasks to be carried out over the next 3-5 years. The Working Group consisted of a limited number of scientists from the National Biological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Illinois State Water Survey, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Members of the Working Group were sent a draft planning document for their review...
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The timing, amplitude, frequency, and duration of water level fluctuations greatly affect river life. On regulated rivers like the Mississippi, water level and current velocity fluctuations are caused by natural hydrologic events that change river discharge and by operation of water control structures. Opportunities exist for modifying river regulation to improve habitat conditions and productivity of the river ecosystem. Modifications to the present system of river regulation must be made within constraints imposed by the hydrology of the basin, engineering characteristics of the system, and within legal and administrative requirements. Hydrologic, engineering, legal, and administrative constraints on river regulation...
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A classification system for aquatic habitat in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is needed for inventory, research, impact assessment, and management purposes. The comprehensive system of aquatic habitat classification proposed here has a hierarchical structure to facilitate habitat mapping and inventory at different spatial scales and varying levels of resolution. The classification system is based on geomorphic features of large floodplain rivers, constructed features of the UMRS, and physical and chemical characteristics of aquatic habitat.
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