Studying river and tributary flows to offer potential benefit enhancements
Located along the Des Moines River in Iowa, Saylorville Lake, upstream from Des Moines, and Lake Red Rock, about 50 miles downstream provide flood risk reduction as well as recreation, water supply, drought management and fish and wildlife management. Altered flows to the river and tributaries as well as impounded water have an affect on resident and migratory fish and mussels as well as wildlife that depend on aquatic, riparian, and floodplain habitat.
By collaborating with many partners, the Corps and Conservancy aim to identify environmental flow requirements for the Des Moines River, and develop hypotheses for alternative water management that might establish more natural flow regimes and/or reservoir conditions to enhance multiple benefits within the program area.