Satisfaction and Results

The Bendway Weirs have not only provided navigation benefits, but many significant environmental benefits have been achieved as well. A wider and more smoothly aligned navigation channel has resulted so that traditional above-water dikes will no longer be built on the sandbars. Nesting Habitat for the Least Tern, an endangered bird species, is thus left largely undisturbed. Bendway Weir fields have also proven to provide habitat for a number of fish species. These environmental reefs have created diversity in the river bed and flow patterns in areas that were once narrow, deep, and swift. Monitoring efforts have shown that the federally endangered Pallid Sturgeon uses the weir fields significantly for their habitat.

In bendways where accidents and dredging were frequent, significant reductions have been made. Therefore, destructive impacts to the environment 28 caused by tow boat accidents and dredging have nearly been eliminated. The Bendway Weirs have also contributed to the reduction of excessive bankline erosion and overbank scour in some areas. Because the weirs are located below the water surface and never seen, the scenic beauty of the natural river is preserved.

Just two months after construction, the navigation channel widened at Dogtooth Bend an average of 200 feet. The swiftness of the river current has slowed considerably. The currents have been redirected away from the outside bankline, protecting against bankline erosion. Many towboat pilots have declared considerable improvement in maneuverability through Dogtooth Bend after the construction of the Bendway Weirs.