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USGS launches ambitious river study

Missouri River under a microscope

An April 1, 1999, news release from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey ( www.usgs.gov) announced the opening of a river studies station in Missouri. The purpose of the station, located at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Missouri, will be to collect information on the ecologies of large rivers. As scientists and river experts acquire new knowledge, they will be able to guide management and policy makers in river conservation and rehabilitation.

The survey will first look at what the impact of naviagation uses, flood control, and power generation on the lower Missouri River have had on the river itself, its aquatic life, and its surrounding habitats. Another study will look at controlled flooding in the Overton Bottom reach, while a third will assess how the Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the Lisbon Bottom reach and surrounding wetlands respond to passive management.

According to the release, the USGS River Studies Station scientists will compare the managed and naturally flooded areas in terms of surface- and ground-water flows, erosion and sediment deposits and water quality. They will also monitor invertebrate, fish and waterbird populations. The comparisons should yield insights into the cost and effectiveness of different management and restoration strategies. Furthermore, detailed field studies such as the one at Lisbon Bottom will be used to develop models that can be applied in other rivers and habitats. The River Studies Station will house experts in a number of areas, including fisheries, aquatic invertebrates, ecology, hydrology, floodplain processes and remote sensing. Station researchers will also monitor a wide range of geological, hydrological and biological factors in collaboration with other USGS facilities, other federal agencies, state agencies and universities.

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