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Agencies planned to draw down the pool, which is from Winona to Trempealeau, Wis., last summer but canceled it when managers of Prairie Island Campground in Winona and Play-Mor Campground near Homer, Minn., complained that recreational boaters would have trouble navigating low spots near their enterprises.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried getting permits to dredge the areas but there wasn't enough time.
A year later, the same problems undermined the drawdown, which was planned for June 14 to Sept. 17. Drawdowns expose sediment and spark plant growth, improving habitat.
When the agencies drew down Pool 8 in La Crosse, Wis., in 2001 and 2002, funds from a corps cost-share program were used to dredge areas. Those funds were unavailable for dredging the two small areas for the Pool 6 plan, said Tim Schlagenhaft, Minnesota DNR Mississippi River and blufflands coordinator.
"We were working on that, and we ran into some administrative issues, and by the time we made a decision to move forward with the drawdown and then get bids, we couldn't get it done in time," he said.
The agencies would have needed approval from the Minnesota Legislature to fund the dredging and share costs with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Schlagenhaft said. Agencies didn't start that process soon enough, he said.
"I think we found out how not to do it," he said.
Agencies say they're going to try again next year to have the funds, he said. A major drawdown of Pool 5 also is scheduled next year.
Contact Jeff Dankert at (507) 453-3513 or jdankert@winonadailynews.com.
