General Overview
Pool 7 of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) is the area between Lock and Dam 7 at river mile 702, near Onalaska, Wisconsin, and Lock and Dam 6 at river mile 714 near Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Pool 7 includes portions of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the north end of French Island, and the city of LaCrosse, Wisconsin which is highly populated and including homes and boat houses on the shoreline of Pool 8.
Primary Response Goals:
1. In general, any spilled oil product should be diverted and kept in the main channel of the Mississippi River. Then, if possible, the oil should be diverted with boom and collection should take place on the Minnesota shore
2. A spill on the Black River should be contained and collected before reaching the river delta. Below this point, the river branches out in numerous channels
3. Keeping product out of Lake Onalaska is the top priority in any spill event because there are many channels and chutes connecting the Mississippi and Black Rivers to the Lake
4. Deflection and exclusion booming of multiple chutes and channels should be prioritized as a response tactic.
To further explain the techniques used above, refer to the image below labeled 713a – East Island Side Channel in the GRP. The strategy for this location is to cascade a boom across the main channel to prevent any spilled product from entering the side channel and backwater entryways. The removal process at this particular location is a barge collection at Richmond island.
If a spill occurs, it is essential to notify federal, state, and local authorities within 24-hours of the spill. To inform federal authorities, call the National Response Center (NRC) at (800) 424-8802. To contact state authorities in Wisconsin, please call (800) 943-0003. To reach state authorities in Iowa, please call (515) 725-8694. To reach state authorities in Minnesota, please call (800) 422-0798. To contact local authorities, please call 911. For more detailed information, refer to the Upper Mississippi River Spill Response Plan.
The Upper Mississippi River Pool 7 Geographic Response Plan is available to download as a ZIP file. To download the files to use them locally, click on the link above. The download should start automatically, or your browser will prompt you to approve and save the file. The ZIP file is 800 MB, so it may take between 10-20 minutes to download depending on your Internet speed. Once the file is downloaded, unzip the files and open the UMNWR_Pool7.exe file.
Other Pools