U.S. Geological Survey monitoring waves in Mississippi River near Fulton

FULTON – The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will place monitoring equipment this week at several locations in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River between Bulger’s Hollow Recreation Area and Lock and Dam 13 in Clinton, Iowa.

The equipment will be placed below the water’s surface to monitor waves and water clarity from late May through mid-September, according to a news release.

Orange buoys will mark locations where monitoring instruments have been placed. The equipment is sensitive, and the public is asked to avoid these locations so as not to disturb the research project. Hunting, fishing and recreational activities are not restricted near monitoring locations, but the public should not tamper with or disturb monitoring equipment and should be careful navigating around buoys.

Public assistance to report unexpected events, damaged property or suspicious activity around the monitoring equipment is appreciated. Local, state and federal officials have been informed about the placement of this equipment.

Scientists will use the data collected in Pool 13 to better understand how waves affect water clarity and the river’s ecosystem, including native freshwater mussels and aquatic plants such as wild celery. The results can inform rehabilitation efforts in Pool 13 and elsewhere on the Mississippi River, according to the release.

For information, contact Kristen Bouska, USGS research ecologist, at 608-781-6344 or kbouska@usgs.gov.