Big River News

Lansing bridge: November opening

Lansing, Iowa — The new Mississippi River bridge at Lansing is now expected to open in early November, months ahead of its scheduled opening in the spring of 2027.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds praised the work of contractors, led by Kraemer North America. The Iowa Department of Transportation said that contractors worked long hours and seven-day work weeks, while favorable weather and river conditions also quickened construction.

The historic Black Hawk Bridge was demolished in December of 2025. As of the end Since the end of August 2026, a free car ferry has moved 131,000 vehicles across the river.

Because locals pushed back and refused to accept a common bridge silhouette, the new bridge retains an unusual profile for a modern bridge that echoes its historic predecessor.

Help a mussel out

Muscoda, Wis. — During low water last summer, mussels got stranded on the Wisconsin River near Muscoda and below the Castle Rock and Kilbourn dams.

Mussels were also stranded on the Chippewa and St. Croix rivers. Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway put out an emergency call to help “hundreds of thousands” stranded at a premiere mussel bed along the St. Croix River near Interstate State Park.

The mussels were “being roasted… in less than an inch of water, stranded on gravel bars and stressed from the 90-plus degree water,” according to Marian Shaffer, aquatic biologist with the National Park Service. Stranded mussels included endangered species and likely mussels up to 100 years of age.

Freshwater mussels can survive stranding for a short amount of time, but if you see one out of the water, it’s likely in trouble. If the mussel is closed, it's probably alive. Pick it up and walk it or gently toss it into deeper water. If the shell is open, it's probably too late.

If you want to help in future mussel rescue efforts, you can sign up for alerts at www.WisconsinRiverFRiends.org/Mussel-Rescue.

Postville fire fish kill

Postville, Iowa — A fish kill on Hecker Creek in Allamakee County may have been tied to a fire that destroyed Postville's kosher meat processing plant.

A typical Department of Natural Resources press release was not issued regarding the fish kill. Officials told the Iowa Capital Dispatch (8-21-26) that county emergency management coordinates media information during such emergencies.

The company is the target of ongoing litigation from Iowa Driftless Water Defenders regarding pollution into Hecker Creek, which flows into the Yellow River.

The fire, which was ruled accidental, put about 600 people out of work. Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the community's largest employer, has vowed to rebuild in Postville.

The Postville plant is the largest kosher meat processor in the United States. In 2008, it was the site of the largest immigration raid in U.S history to that date.

After the raid, the company faced multiple allegations of child labor law violations. It filed for bankruptcy and re-opened under new ownership, as Agri Star Meat and Poultry.

Where to put it, Pool 9

Genoa, Wis. — The Army Corps of Engineers is looking at where to put dredge spoils in Pool 9 over the next 20 years. The Corps expects to dredge up an estimated 2.92 million cubic yards of sand in Pool 9 by 2047, to maintain the nine-foot channel.

While a historic average of 56,000 cubic yards have been dredged annually in Pool 9, the past decade has seen an average of 79,000 cubic yards of sand dredged, with even more dredging expected in the future.

The Corps expects to keep using its current sites for piling dredge spoils in Pool 9. The agency is considering adding more land for this purpose at the former site of the Genoa Power Plant. The site of the demolished power plant already serves as an off-loading site for dredged materials. The public can pick up sand here, but the size of the site is limited by the need to avoid coal ash contamination and construction debris.

The Corps also identified places where the agency could buy land in the future to pile Pool 9 dredge spoils:  the Mathy Quarry, the Brozinski Pit and the Pedretti Gianoli Road Pit. The Mathy Quarry and Brozinski Pit are active quarries, while the Pedretti Gianoli Road Pit is not being used.

In the lower reach of Pool 9, the Corps’ tentative 20-year plan would continue to use existing sites, including  a spot near the Lansing bridge where people can pick up dredged material. Lansing Island is used as a temporary transfer site. Dredged sand builds up the recreation area at the Army Corps’ Blackhawk Park. Indian Camp Light, near a dredge cut between Lansing, Iowa, and De Soto, Wis., could be used for storing sand in case of emergency.

New miter gates at Lock 9

Lynxville, Wis. — The Army Corps of Engineers replaced four miter gates at Lock 9 this summer, part of an effort to replace all the original miter gates at Locks 2-10. The nearly-100-year-old miter gates are being replaced by gates of the same dimensions but weighing about 50 percent more. Designers hope they withstand ice, currents and river traffic to last another 50-100 years.

‘Save our Homes’

Minneapolis — Renters on Nicollet Island are banding together to try to save their homes. Using a co-op model, they’re hoping to buy six Victorian “painted ladies” that provide 22 units of moderate housing to islanders, some of whom have lived there for 40 years.

The land under the houses is owned by the Minneapolis Park Board, but the homes themselves are owned by the nonprofit Twin Cities Housing Development Corporation (TCHDC), which wants to sell the homes to focus on strictly income-restricted housing.

TCHDC once leased the homes to a previous tenant cooperative. That co-op tried to buy the buildings in the mid-2000s but failed to secure financing in the face of the Great Recession.

TCHDC is asking for nearly $4 million for the houses and says it will look at all competitive bids. That’s a high price for a group of tenants that include retirees, artists, service workers and wellness instructors.

The co-op is developing its proposal with Land Bank Twin Cities, which would purchase the property up front and allow the co-op to pay it off over time.

Nicollet Island is parkland in the middle of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It’s home to the Nicollet Island Inn and DeLaSalle High School, as well as the historic homes on the north end of the island.

Dead Asian Carp

Quincy, Ill. — Large numbers of dead silver and bighead carp washed up on the shore of the Mississippi River near Quincy and St. Charles County, Mo.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reported that 90 percent of the dead fish were invasive Asian carp. People have been calling in the fish kills since late July. Officials say it normally takes pretty large numbers for these incidents to be noticed.

State wildlife officials say hot weather leads to low oxygen levels in shallow water where the fish congregate, and disease may also be contributing to the die-off. Matt Combes of the Missouri Department of Conservation, said that invasive carp don’t manage warm water temperatures as well as most native fish.

While some are celebrating a fish kill of unwanted fish, river users have been complaining about the smell, with a ferry operator reportedly using Vicks Vapor Rub in an attempt to combat the dead fish smell. (WGEM 9-16-26; St. Louis Post Dispatch 8-6-26)