Sen. Dick Durbin, officials break ground on $6.8M Starved Rock project to help wildlife

The Starved Rock Breakwater Project is underway, both physically and ceremonially.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie were featured speakers Wednesday at the official groundbreaking ceremony near the Illinois Waterway Visitors Center.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program project – a habitat restoration effort designed to restore submerged aquatic vegetation in the Illinois River, benefiting waterfowl, fish and wildlife while also keeping the waterway open for navigation and commerce – actually began its construction the day before.

This is a pretty important piece of real estate when it comes to the natural history and the resources of our area. … Our generation is doing our part to make sure these waterfowl survive. We can’t let anything happen on our watch. We owe it to our kids and grandkids.”

—  Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois

The contractor is Prime Midwest Construction Co., and the subcontractor JF Brennan.

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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)

Completion is expected by October, NESP ecosystem program manager Rachel Hawes said, and when finished, it will consist of a riprap breakwater that is 6,100 feet long and have a design elevation of 461.85 feet.

It will be located along the northern edge of the former Delbridge Island between river mile 233 and 234.

Hawes said it should have an immediate influence on its targets, in an area USACE Maj. Matthew Fletcher said is “a critical mid-migration resting area in the internationally significant Mississippi River flyway” that also benefits fish and river-area wildlife.

Colin Ewen, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District, said the project will include minimal access dredging of the silt that is filling that portion of the river to the point where the water depth was only 3 to 4 feet.

Machinery then will move in to place riprap along that section of the river to increase the amount and quality of resting and feeding habitat for migrating waterfowl, as well as improve the spawning and nursery habitat for native fish.

“The goal of this project is to ultimately restore that overall habitat to what it originally was and to prevent the erosion and sediment buildup coming from further up the river,” Ewen said. “This particular project is focused on the ecosystem side, but the design and purpose is to ultimately benefit navigation traffic by avoiding this becoming a potential problem area with excess buildup.”

The total cost of the project is set at $6.8 million, most of which will be covered by federal funding secured by Durbin and fellow Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Durbin pointed out that although the Army Corps of Engineers did great work, it didn’t consider the ecosystems the work affected until 2007.

That’s when, knowing that 40% of the migratory waterfowl and 25% of the North American fish species in the U.S. comes through the Mississippi and Illinois rivers region, he and others drafted a bill to include the word “ecosystem” in any legislation regarding navigation.

There now are “200 more places just like this one, mapped out and ready to go,” said Durbin, who has helped secure $829 million in funding for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“This is a major stopping-off place for species of birds all over North America,” Durbin said of the Starved Rock area. “These birds are an important part of our ecology and our future. Making sure they have the proper feeding and nesting sites makes all the difference.

“This is a pretty important piece of real estate when it comes to the natural history and the resources of our area. … Our generation is doing our part to make sure these waterfowl survive. We can’t let anything happen on our watch. We owe it to our kids and grandkids.”

Noting Starved Rock State Park was the most popular park in the state in 2023, drawing 2.3 million visitors, Phelps Finnie said that she is thrilled her department could join the Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service in making the project happen.

“This project will restore the habitat and protect the animals that people come to Starved Rock to enjoy,” Phelps Finnie said.

State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, was in attendance, as were representatives of U.S. Rep. Eric Sorenson, D-Rockford, and state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris.