Steamboat rock DAM is located on the iowa river in pine ridge park in hardin county, iowa

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $1,600,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to remove the Steamboat Rock Dam on the Iowa River and implement associated habitat restoration activities. This project, funded through the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685), aims to: 1) Improve public safety by eliminating the dam-related hazard, 2) Reduce flooding to a nearby county campground, 3) Restore upstream and downstream fish and mussel passage, and 4) Improve river access and on-water recreation. The key activities include staged dam removal, construction of a floodplain bench and grade control structures, and installation of in-river habitat features. This project will reconnect 61 miles of the Iowa River, expand the distribution of state-listed mussel species, and enhance recreational opportunities for paddlers, tubers, and anglers. The award period is from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028.

The iowa department of natural resources owns the DAM and is the project sponsor. The purpose of the proposed action is to: 1) improve public safety 2) reduce flooding to the county campground in pine ridge park 3) restore upstream and downstream fish and mussel passage and 4) improve river access and on-water recreation through the project reach of the iowa river. The proposed action entails removing steamboat rock DAM in four stages to allow sediment to naturally move downriver. The DAM will be breached to lower water levels and allow for a pilot channel to form. After the DAM is fully removed, a floodplain bench will be constructed on the west riverbank between the former DAM and the pine ridge park campground. Several grade control structures will be constructed, and immediate area streambanks stabilized. In-river habitat features such as a rock cross vane, J-hook, and boulder clusters will be installed in the vicinity of the former DAM to provide angling opportunities. Removal of the DAM will reconnect 61 miles of the iowa river, improve upstream and downstream fish movement and access to seasonal habitats, expand the distribution and diversity of state conservation need mussels through the river reach, reduce flooding to the county campground, eliminate the public safety hazard associated with the DAM, improve navigation of the water trail for paddlers and tubers, and provide easier access to the river for on-water recreation.