A new habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project is coming to Princeton, Iowa.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are hosting a public groundbreaking ceremony on October 4 at 2 p.m. for the start of construction on the Steamboat Island Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project near Princeton. The ceremony will be held at the public access area on the south side of the Princeton Wildlife Management Area, 26545 285th Avenue.

The Steamboat Island project, which is funded through the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program, is in Pool 14 of the Upper Mississippi River. It includes about 2,620 acres of interconnected backwaters, secondary channels, wetlands, islands, floodplain habitat and aquatic habitat. It’s part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The $33.6 million project will be completed in two stages. Earlier this year, a contract for stage one was awarded to Architectural Consulting Group of Chicago, Inc. for $8.8 million. Over the next few years, efforts will focus on increasing year-round aquatic habitat diversity, diversifying floodplain forest habitat, restoring island acreage and protecting and enhancing backwater habitat.

For more information, call the Rock Island District at (309) 794-5729 or click here.