Upper mississippi river restoration long term resource monitoring element cooperative agreement programproject period: 10 01 2023 - 09 30 2024ABSTRACT summary: this award funds tasks in support of the…

Upper mississippi river restoration long term resource monitoring element cooperative agreement programproject period: 10 01 2023 - 09 30 2024ABSTRACT summary: this award funds tasks in support of the US army corps of engineers upper mississippi river restoration (umrr) programs long term resource monitoring (ltrm) element. Ltrm was authorized by congress in the 1986 water resources development act to be performed by the USGS-upper midwest environmental sciences center (umesc) in LA crosse, wisconsin, and six state-operated field stations (illinois, iowa, minnesota, missouri, and wisconsin). This long-term monitoring effort improves understanding of the upper mississippi river system (umrs) and informs ongoing habitat restoration work being done by the umrr program. Activities are part of a comprehensive monitoring program and consists of environmental monitoring, research, modeling, and information delivery with an emphasis on field data collection. Specific tasks include field data collection regarding water quality, fisheries, and aquatic vegetation (aquatic vegetation sampling is required only in IA, MN, and WI). Primary deliverable is the completion of all required field sampling and additional sample processing as needed. The data and select samples for additional chemical analysis are to be transferred to the USGS umesc for analysis. These data are served online and available to the public. The data are also used extensively for research in support of restoration and to inform restoration and management decisions for the upper mississippi and illinois rivers.