NESP Receives Construction Funding in USACE Infrastructure Work Plan

Today is an important day for the Upper Mississippi River System!  Construction will now begin on the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP).

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that two important NESP projects will receive funding in the bipartisan infrastructure law:  $732 million for a second, 1,200-foot chamber at L&D 25 and $97.1 million for constructing fish passage at L&D 22.

The work at L&D 25 will improve the river’s reliability by adding redundancy with two lock chambers and will reduce costs for shippers and consumers by increasing efficiency of lock transit times.

Fish passage at L&D 22 will restore the ability for migratory and resident native fish species to reach high quality spawning, rearing, feeding, and winter habitats that were made inaccessible by the existence of the dams.  The L&D 22 location allows for a unique learning opportunity regarding the efficacy of fish passage for increasing the competitiveness of native species in an area overcome by the presence of a dominant invasive species.

NESP is an unprecedented, dual-purpose program that integrates lock modernization and ecosystem integrity.  It is the product of many years of rigorous study and deliberation among a partnership of federal and state agencies and individual and organizational stakeholders.

UMRBA is committed to working with NESP’s implementing agency members and partners to fully realize its potential to support the shared vision of an integrated, multi-purpose management for the Upper Mississippi River System.

Congratulations to all of our partners who have made this next step forward a reality.

Kirsten Wallace
Executive Director | Upper Mississippi River Basin Association
7831 E. Bush Lake Rd., Suite 302, Bloomington, MN 55439
651-224-2880 (main office) | 651-403-3983 (direct)
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