The recently acquired Cenacle property in Warrenville will soon be home to a research center with the mission of reintroducing rare species of fish and mussels to the West Branch of the DuPage River.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s $3.2 million urban stream research center will be constructed in the northeast corner of the property near the Blackwell Forest Preserve archery range. The district plans to partner with colleges and universities to research the health of the West Branch and its tributaries and to reintroduce species that have disappeared from portions of the river.

The 6,700-square-foot facility was originally slated for the nearby Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve. But when the district acquired the 40-acre retreat house property from the Sisters of the Cenacle, it was chosen as the location due to its proximity to the West Branch and Springbrook Creek.

The construction of the center, which will include laboratories and educational facilities, will mainly be funded by a $2.9 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. An additional $230,000 to provide utilities for the facility will come from the sale of bonds approved by voters in 2006.

The project is part of a $10 million effort funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to improve the water quality of the DuPage River. The effort includes the removal of the McDowell Grove dam in McDowell Grove Forest Preserve.

Some district commissioners wanted to explore the possibility of using the existing buildings on the Cenacle property for the research center, but the board voted 6-1 Tuesday to approve the proposed location.

“Rehabilitation of those buildings at the Cenacle ... wouldn’t be the most economical use of the money,” said Andrea Hoyt, the district’s director of planning.

John Oldenburg, the district’s director of natural resources, said there are only about a dozen similar facilities in the U.S. The district’s center would be the only one in Illinois.

“This would be a unique facility not only in DuPage County, but would really drive the restorative process in northeastern Illinois,” Oldenburg said.

There are 41 species of fish present in the West Branch south of Fawell dam in McDowell Grove, but only 21 north of the dam, he said.

While there were once 18 species of mussels in the river, only half those species can be found today. Only four species are present upstream of Fawell dam.

Mussels are important to the health of a stream because they filter water. A 4-ounce mussel can clean 2 quarts of water in an hour, filtering out sediments and pollutants, said district natural resources staffers. It has been estimated that a bed of 10,000 fresh-water mussels could filter about 60,000 gallons of water per day.

Fish are essential to the life cycle of mussels. Female mussels discharge larvae called gluchidia, which attach themselves to the gills of fish. The gluchidia develop into juvenile mussels over the course of weeks or months before dropping off and developing into adults.

By reintroducing fish species such as the Johnny darter, which act as hosts for mussels, the district hopes to eventually reintroduce several mussel species to the river, Oldenburg said.

Construction of the research center is expected to begin next year, and it should be open in 2010, district officials said.