Purpose: To provide a dependable water source to manage approximately 4,800 acres of wetlands on the Grand Pass Conservation Area. Six miles of the 5,296-acre Conservation Area adjoins the Missouri River. The conservation area lies within the widest portion of the Missouri River Floodplain in one of the most historical migration corridors for waterfowl in Missouri. The project entailed design and development of an electric powered, hydraulic driven pump station on the Missouri River capable of delivering up to 60,000 gallons of water per minute. Pumped water from the Missouri river is delivered to a distribution canal that feeds the various wetland units on the area. The Missouri River pump station is the "heartbeat" of the area providing managers the capability to provide and sustain slowly rising water levels throughout the fall and spring migration periods. This project was Missouri's first MARSH (Matching Aid Restoring State Habitat) Project.
Grand Pass Conservation Area is intensively managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation to provide a diversity of wetland habitats. The area is one of Missouri's premier public waterfowl hunting areas. For more information regarding the Grand Pass Conservation Area go to the Missouri Department of Conservation's "Conservation Atlas" at
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaList.aspx?txtUserID=guest&txtAreaNm=s and type in the area name.
Location: 5 miles southwest of Miami, Missouri in Saline County
Acres Impacted: 4,800 acres
Habitat Type: Moist-Soil Wetlands
Emergent Marsh
Agricultural Units
Partners: Missouri Department of Conservation
Ducks Unlimited, MARSH
Timeline: 1986