About the

Water Program

MCE’s water program advocates for clean water and the communities that depend on it. Some Native American communities who lived along the Mississippi called it “Great River,” and we believe that our place at the confluence of the mighty Mississippi and Missouri Rivers comes with great responsibility. MCE’s water program protects Missouri’s precious remaining floodplains and wetlands, pushes for water quality standards that protect our health and ecosystems, and stands up against pollutive industries. We are committed to protecting access to Missouri’s water treasures, such as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. We support farmers whose practices build healthy soil and keep waterways safe and clean. We rely on your voices — from small river towns to our biggest cities — to make our work possible.

Maisah Khan, Water Policy Director

Water

Current Issues

Reducing Water Pollution

Decreasing Flooding

Protecting our Rivers

Water

Calls to Action

Upper Mississippi River Watershed Study Open for Comment

Attend UMRBA Public Meeting about 2019 Flooding

Call Sen. Blunt About Missouri River Flooding

Featured Coalition

Lower Missouri River Coalition

The Lower Missouri River Coalition (LMRC) is a group of organizations advocating for floodplain reconnection and restoration along the Missouri River from Sioux City, IA to St. Louis, MO.

The Missouri River is the longest and one of the most historic rivers in North America. The “Mighty MO” flows for over 2,300 miles and drains one-sixth of the continental United States. For the last century, Congress has authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to administer flood control, navigation, and irrigation on the Missouri River by impounding, channelizing, and dredging the river. Where the “Big Muddy” was once a meandering river with braided channels, it is now a series of massive reservoirs on the upper river and a straight, deep, narrow channel on the lower river from Sioux City, IA, to the mouth near St. Louis. Decades of intensive management of the Missouri River and development in its floodplains have exacerbated flood damages in river towns and destroyed fish and wildlife habitat. The LMRC advocates for the restoration of functional hydrology and associated ecosystem services in the Lower Missouri River and its floodplain.