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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:…

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…

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…

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…

Wetlands are semi-permanently to permanently water-saturated lands that vary uniquely based on local hydrology, climate, geology, and vegetation. They act as natural filters and sponges to cleanse, store, and gradually release water into our streams, rivers, and reservoirs and are as productive as rain forests and coral reefs. Once feared as a source of disease,…