The six Missouri River dams, started in 1933 and completed in 1964, were built primarily through the Pick-Sloan Program, a Bureau of Reclamation and Corps of Engineers compromise for developing the Missouri River. The dams are located in the upper portion of the Missouri River and were built primarily to store water for hydroelectric power generation,…
Read MoreMissouri River Recovery Program
Just as on the Mississippi River, ecosystem restoration efforts have been ongoing within the Missouri River as well. Since 2000, the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been working on the Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP), whose mission is to: “Implement actions to accomplish Missouri River ecosystem recovery goals in coordination and…
Read MoreUpper Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration
In 1986, the Corps of Engineers received a new mission within the Mississippi River basin: ecosystem restoration. The 1986 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) created the Upper Mississippi River Environmental Management Program. Recently, its name has been changed to the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program. The program is dedicated to developing restoration projects within the Upper Mississippi River:…
Read MoreNavigation on the Missouri River
Like the Mississippi River, the Missouri River has also been highly altered to float large barges. The structures on the Missouri River, however, are harder to see unless you know what to look for. While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) used both locks, dams, and river training structures to create an artificial barge channel…
Read MoreUpper Mississippi River Lock and Dam System
Floating huge barges on the majority of the rivers in the U.S. is not natural. It requires massive river-altering infrastructure. No where is there more of this infrastructure than on what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) calls the Upper Mississippi River System. This system covers the upper part of the Mississippi River from…
Read MoreNavigation’s Impact on River Management
The U.S. Corps of Engineers has been responsible for “developing” the Mississippi River Basin’s rivers since the early 1800s when Congress directed them to do surveys and remove snags within the river channel. Navigation Mission To improve navigation safety and efficiency by the 1860s the Corps of Engineers was blasting out river rapids at several locations…
Read More