FOUR YEARS OF PLANNING TO PULL OFF THE 2001 DRAWDOWN - UMR POOL 8.  

Gretchen Benjamin - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource, 3550 Mormon Coulee 
Road, La Crosse, WI 54601 and the River Resources Forum - Water Level Management 
Task Force.   

During the summer of 2001, Upper Mississippi River Pool 8 was drawn down 18 
inches at Lock and Dam 8 for the purpose of habitat restoration, specifically 
aquatic vegetation and potential sediment consolidation.  The Water Level 
Management Task Force worked for more than four years to develop and implement 
the plan for the 2001 drawdown. A number of elements had to be set up prior to 
the implement of the plan, including an extensive public involvement process.  
Initially the task force worked on small-scale drawdowns in diked off 
backwaters.  Three projects were completed and appeared to prove beneficial so 
the decision was made to attempt a large-scale drawdown in an entire pool.  Four 
pools offered the best chance of success so the task force went to the public 
for input on pool selection for a demonstration project.  Pool 8 was chosen, 
based on public acceptance, the chance to benefit a large number of acres in 
lower Pool 8, manageable main channel dredging, manageable recreation impacts, 
and the ability to do extensive monitoring.  A video was produced to document 
this process and outline the issues associated with use of water level 
management in the future.  

(The Water Level Management Task Force recognizes substantial contributions from 
traditional federal and state agencies like, USFWS, USACE, USGS, WDNR, MDNR but 
also nontraditional participants like Kent Pehler -Brennan Marine, Lee J. Nelson 
- Upper Mississippi Service, Sol Simon - Mississippi River Revival and other 
concerned citizens.)