Ducks Unlimited (DU) and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) have been working together to complete a portion of a large scale wetland enhancement project with the help of a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant. The grant was received in May 2019. This project is an effort to focus on the acquisition, restoration and enhancement of major wetland and grassland complexes within the Missouri River Alluvial Plain and associated tributaries in western Iowa and northwest Missouri. The purpose of this grant is to improve water management at eight different locations, including Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge (LBNWR). On the refuge, this project specifically addresses the water shortage issues in various moist soil units and wetlands, including Eagle Pool. The completion of this project will benefit shorebirds, marshbirds, waterbirds, ducks, geese, bald eagles, reptiles and amphibians, and more, that depend on the resources at the refuge. 

These water management improvements are critical for Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge to meet the mission of the USFWS to provide resting and breeding grounds for migratory birds, along with the goals and objectives identified in multiple conservation plans, including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture Waterfowl and Waterbird Conservation Plan, the Missouri State Wildlife Action Plan, and the LBNWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The refuge has been recognized as a Globally Important Bird Area, A Conservation Opportunity Area by the Missouri State Wildlife Action Plan, and Site of Regional Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The refuge attracts up to 130,000 visitors per year and provides an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of healthy, diverse wetland habitats and the species that depend on them.  

In early June of 2020, Rieschick Drilling Co. in Falls City, Nebraska, was selected as the contractor to install three new wells and pumps on the refuge as part of this wetland enhancement project. In mid-January, 2021, the installation of these new units was completed. To complete this project, wetland pools on the refuge were drawn down through September to allow surveyors and contractors to complete groundwork at the designated well locations. The locations were marked with flagging and contractors drilled test wells the week of August 3, 2020. Significant rainfall and flooding on the refuge in late summer delayed the project. 

The three new wells and pumps include the south well between Pelican Pool and Eagle Pool, the northwest well on South Mallard Marsh, and the northeast well on Moist Soil Unit 4. The northwest and south wells have electric motors that are powered by a portable generator. The south well is submersible and the northwest well is above ground. The northeast well is power take-off driven and has a separate power unit. All three are diesel powered. 

The south well was drilled to 100 feet deep, encountering sand at 40 feet and bedrock at 76 feet. The output of this well is 700 gallons per minute (gpm) and supplies water to Eagle Pool, Pelican Pool, and Pelican Pool Moist Soil Unit. The northwest well was drilled to 100 feet deep, encountering sand at 33 feet, gravel at 55 feet, and bedrock at 87 feet deep. This well has an output of 1,700 gpm and supplies water to North Pintail Pool and South Mallard Marsh. The northeast well was drilled to 100 feet depth, encountering sand from 42 down to bedrock at 166 feet. This well has an output of 3,400 gpm and supplies water to Davis Creek Moist Soil Units 3, 4, 5 West, 5 East, Cattail Pool, and Eagle Pool. 

The installation of these wells and pump systems will help provide water to over 2,000 acres of seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands. Water levels will continue to be manipulated on the refuge via gravity flow, stop logs, radial gates, and screwgates in addition to these new diesel powered pumps and wells. While the wells are installed and fully operational, there is more work to be done. Levee work on Eagle Pool is scheduled for spring 2021. 

Several organizations contributed to the project including Friends of Loess Bluffs NWR, Ducks Unlimited, Waterfowler’s Hall of Fame, Audubon (Burroughs and Midland Empire Chapters) and many more. Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Missouri near Mound City. 

LBNWR has a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/loessbluffsnwr/. You can also visit their website: www.fws.gov/refuge/loess_bluffs/, for refuge updates. For more information call 660-442-3187.