Corps of Engineers awards $6.9 million McGregor Lake Stage 2 option

By Melanie PetersonNovember 15, 2022

Corps of Engineers awards $6.9 million McGregor Lake Stage 2 option
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in partnership with the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is continuing construction at McGregor Lake near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Marquette, Iowa, to create islands to restore floodplain forest habitat for wildlife, including migratory birds. The partners had a site visit to view progress July 5. (Photo Credit: Melanie Peterson) VIEW ORIGINAL

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District awarded the second part of the McGregor Lake Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project to Dubuque Barge and Fleeting Service Company doing business as Newt Marine Service, of Dubuque, Iowa. The $6.9 million option award will go toward the stage 2 construction contract in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge located near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

The stage 1 contract was awarded in September 2020 and work is ongoing. The stage 2 base construction contract was awarded in September and this next stage of the project will raise the elevation of the northernmost floodplain forest features above McGregor Lake, along with additional improvements to backwater fisheries by means of habitat dredging areas north of the Highway 18 bridge. Completion of stage 2 construction is scheduled for 2025.

The completed project will restore eroding peninsulas around McGregor Lake, deepen backwater habitat for overwintering fish and enhance floodplain forest habitat. The forests in the Mississippi River corridor provide critical habitat for migrating songbirds, nesting bald eagles, herons, kingfishers and other birds.

The project is planned in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources and the local communities.

This project is funded under the authority of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program. The 30-year program is intended to ensure the coordinated development and enhancement of the Upper Mississippi River system with primary emphasis on habitat restoration projects and resource monitoring. The rehabilitation program has fostered more than 55 habitat projects benefiting approximately 100,000 acres on the Upper Mississippi River, from Minneapolis to St. Louis, Missouri.

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