Photos: $5-$10M Starved Rock Breakwater Project breaks ground

Workers use an amphibious dump truck (bottom) and barges with excavators (top) to haul silt near Delbridge Island about a mile east of the Starved Rock Lock and Dam on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 near Starved Rock State Park. The Starved Rock Breakwater project is a habitat restoration effort designed to restore submerged aquatic vegetation in the Illinois River, Starved Rock Pool. It will increase the amount and quality of resting and feeding habitat for migratory waterfowl and improve spawning and nursery habitat for native fish. Construction of the breakwater will involve placement of riprap along northern edge of the former Delbridge Island, adjacent to the navigation channel between River Mile 233 and 234. The breakwater structure will be approximately 6,100 feet long and constructed to a design elevation 461.85 feet, providing adequate protection to allow for submerged aquatic vegetation growth. The estimated total cost of this project is between $5 and $10 million. (Scott Anderson)