WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ANALYZE RIVER SYSTEMS AND RIVER HEALTH AND IMPLEMENT INQUIRIES OF DECOLONIZATION - FREEING THE RIVER AND PROVIDING RECLAMATION OF ECOLOGIES SUCH AS VEGETATION, WILDLIFE, AND AQUATIC LIFE?
Torey Erin’s 2nd year studio project analyzed the lock and dam system, exploring riverfronts and urban lock and dams on the Upper Mississippi River. Torey researched and analyzed the ways in which dams have been an intervention of colonialism and control over the river including displacement of indigenous peoples, loss of habitat and ecology, increased aggressive species, and poor water quality. For her project she utilized the following design research methods to inform her site design at Lock and Dam #13 in Fulton, Illinois/Clinton, Iowa.
SITE DESIGN PLAN: Lock and Dam #13 key design values include Water Quality Protection, Ecological Restoration, Material Reuse, Minimal Construction Materials, Habitat Creation, Protective Floodplain, Denitrification, and Public Access to the River. The images below show the current conditions of the site (left) and the site design including removal of the dam and jetty, partial removal of the earthen dam, an added living shorelines, floodplain forest restoration, and a regional river trail system.
SECTIONS: CHANGE OVER TIME: The sections above show the current conditions of the dam, dam removal, and shoreline restoration with an added pedestrian bridge and floating wetlands within the lock. Wetland islands would help with water quality and create habitat for mussels and other aquatic life. The shoreline buffer would help mitigate run-off from agriculture and protection from erosion.