University of Iowa expands research on the Mississippi River

Contact: Breanna Shea, 319-384-1729

July 15, 2024

IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering is part of a new $6 million initiative funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and based at Auburn University to create the National Information Collaboration on Ecohydraulics (NICE) to improve the understanding of ecological impacts from navigation locks and dams on fish and rivers.

Mississippi River lock and dam projects were constructed to improve inland navigation before the impacts on native fish species and their ability to migrate and move freely upstream and downstream were fully understood. As commercial navigation channels across the U.S. are in critical need of updates and maintenance, NICE will support informed decision-making to balance navigation needs with protecting threatened and endangered aquatic species and limiting the spread of invasive species.

IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR) will contribute more than 80 years of expertise in fish passage to create computer models that can predict how changes to lock and dam projects along the Mississippi River system will affect the movement of fish. These specialized models will consider the water dynamics and ecological factors to understand potential impacts on fish passage from proposed navigation improvements.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this project to continue our long-standing relationship with USACE and work in collaboration with our university partners,” says IIHR Director Larry Weber. “Some of IIHR’s first major research was on the Mississippi River conducting model testing of dams and spillways and working with USACE on navigation projects.”

In the late 1920s, IIHR began working with the USACE on the 9-Foot Channel Project, supported by an act of Congress, to make the Mississippi River deeper and wider to create more safe, reliable passageways for commercial navigation. The project became the system of locks and dams that exist today. IIHR’s fish passage research has been largely focused on the Pacific Northwest learning about fish passage near dam structures.

“We have a better understanding of fish passage research now to help make thoughtful decisions to enhance the connectivity of the river while keeping pace with the demands of commercial navigation,” says Weber.

IIHR will collect field data to build reliable models that accurately reflect river conditions, including measuring river flow, bathymetry (riverbed elevations), sediment, and water quality. This work will be centered at IIHR’s Lucile A. Carver Mississippi River Environmental Research Station (LACMRERS) located near Muscatine, Iowa. Made possible by a generous gift from the Roy J Carver Foundation, LACMERS offers an ideal location to support the important field-based monitoring and data collection needed within the NICE research program.

NICE is a collaboration between the USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center, and researchers at Auburn University, the University of Maryland, the University of Illinois, the University of California–Davis, and the University of Iowa.