Soloman, R. C., D. R. Parsons, D. A. Wright, B. K. Colbert and C. Ferris (1975).  
Environmental inventory and assessment of Navigation Pools 24, 25, and 26, Upper 
Mississippi and Lower Illinois Rivers. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment 
Station, Technical Report Y-75-1.
	
The River and Harbor Act of 3 July 1930 authorized the construction and 
maintenance of a 9-ft-deep by 300-ft-wide channel for commercial navigation of 
the Upper Mississippi and Lower Illinois Rivers. Construction of locks and dams 
supplemented by dredging and bank stabilization was required to maintain the 9-
ft depth, particularly during periods of low flow. An investigation was 
performed by Colorado State University to evaluate the river reaches before and 
after man-made changes and overall changes in geomorphology. Additionally, 
trends of future geomorphic changes that could result from existing and 
potential future developements were addressed with the aid of a mathematical 
simulation model. Vegetation and vegetative successional patterns of the 
floodplain were characterized by the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Vegetation maps 
were produced delineating vegetational communities adjacent to the rivers and on 
islands. An inventory of the animals and their habitats was conducted by 
Southern Illinois University. Seven habitats were distinguished in the 
unprotected floodplain. Based on literature, 49 species of mammals, 286 species 
of birds, and 81 species and subspecies of amphibians and reptiles were expected 
to occur in the study area. Members of the Waterways Experiment Sttion study 
team collected water and sediment samples for chemical and physical analysis and 
biological samples from four habitat types. The data were subjected to various 
statistical analyses to determine if there were differences between habitats and 
sampling dates. Fish samples were collected from the Illinois River by the 
Illinois Natural History Survey and results were compared with literature to 
determine temporal and spatial changes in distribution. The overall impacts of 
operation and maintainance of the 9-ft channel were discussed relative to the 
effects on the biological, chemical, and physical system in the study area. 
Recommendations were made for further studies that are needed to define impact 
more adequately.