Clean-up of Big Slough flood debris now complete ...

At the Monday, April 24 meeting of the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker reported that the large debris field within the Big Slough in the Mississippi River from last year’s flooding has been cleaned up following the coordination and efforts of several organizations. Following the record flooding of the Upper Iowa River last year in August, an unexpected result of that flooding was the large amount of man-made and woody debris collected by that river’s rising floodwaters which, in turn, flowed downriver and finally settled in and clogged the Big Slough of the Mississippi River south of New Albin (as evident in the photo above taken during the recent clean-up effort). Upon notification of the existence of this debris field by members of the Friends of Pool 9, efforts began with several agencies to determine a plan of action to clean up this large debris field.

Following months of effort and planning, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Living Lands and Waters volunteers were able to successfully clean up the debris field this April. During the operation, crews collected and removed around 90 cubic yards of man-made debris and opened approximately eight-tenths of a mile of the slough by pushing the woody debris to the outside of the channel, resulting in moving water through the middle of the slough (as evident in the photo below).

"Allamakee County greatly appreciates the work of all involved in this effort, with special thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in finding and coordinating a solution to this problem and also to the Friends of Pool 9 for their dedication to conservation efforts along the Mississippi River," shared Snitker. Photos taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.