Water Flow Improvement Project At Sam Gordy’s Slough

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLCX) – DNR says construction starts now to improve a fish habitat, restore flow to the Mississippi and improve water quality.

Construction has started at Sam Gordy’s Backwater Complex on June 9, 2025. The Wisconsin DNR says recreational users may need to avoid the project area during active construction, but access is not anticipated to be otherwise impacted.

“The river inlet at Sam Gordy’s Slough is currently blocked by sediment during normal and low flow conditions,” said Shawn Giblin in a press release, a DNR Mississippi River Water Resource Management Specialist.

Commonly known as Sam Gordy’s Slough, it’s approximately 350 acres on the Wisconsin bank of Pool 6 of the Mississippi River in Buffalo County.

A rock deflector will be added at the river inlet to stop sand from being deposited, while still allowing for high-oxygen river water to enter. The DNR says this design has been used before and successfully on other Mississippi River habitat projects.

Downstream, the riverbank will also be covered with rock riprap.

Accumulating sand in the aeration channel will also be mechanically dredged.

Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 1, 2025.

The DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are sponsoring the project, and the work is being done by Schafer’s Marine Services.