About The Mississippi River

The Upper Mississippi River Valley is a special place, with its sweeping vistas of bluffs, bottomland forests, open water, wetlands, and islands. These high quality land and water resources provide a wealth of opportunities for recreation. That, combined with the area's rich history, culture, and commerce, provide the perfect backdrop to the valley's diverse communities.

Although the Upper Mississippi River extends from St. Paul, Minnesota, downstream to the mouth of the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois; boarders five states; and includes more than 850 miles of river, it is only a small portion of the entire Mississippi River Basin.

"Mississippi" is an Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word meaning great river or gathering of waters--an appropriate name because the river basin, or watershed, extends from the Allegheny Mountains in the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains. It is the world's third largest drainage basin, with 250 tributaries and branches. The river basin drains 41 percent of the country's water from all or part of the 31 states.

In addition, the Mississippi is the third longest in the world, flowing 2340 mi (3,770 km) miles from its source in Lake Itasca in northwestern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It takes three months for a drop of water to make this journey.

Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi, is a small glacial lake, approximately 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) in area. The channel of the Mississippi as it emerges from the lake was actually moved in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, as part of project to create a more pleasant experience for visitors. The project included the draining of the surrounding swamp, the digging of a new channel, and the installation of man-made rock rapids. Wading across the rapids in bare feet – walking across the Mississippi River – is a popular recreational activity for summer tourists. ....more from Wikipedia: The Mississippi River

The headwater stretch of the Mississippi River meanders 400 miles through bogs, lakes, and forests as it winds its way though Northern Minnesota until it joins the larger Minnesota River at St. Anthony Falls in St. Paul. At this point it becomes part of the Upper Mississippi River System, a dynamic, large floodplain river ecosystem.

The Upper Mississippi River System is defined as the natural floodplain between the head of navigation at Minneapolis, Minnesota and the confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. This nationally significant commercial navigation system includes 1,200 miles of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and the navigable portions of the Minnesota, St. Croix, Black and Kaskaskia rivers. It is a river that has been modified for navigation for over 150 years.

Before river modifications began, the Upper Mississippi River was a mosaic of braided channels and sandbars, making navigation in larger boats difficult. Water levels were also unpredictable and the river was as vulnerable to drought as it was to floods. Sometimes it was possible to wade or drive wagons across the river.

The Transformation of the River, into a reliable navigation highway began in earnest in 1866 with the 4-foot navigation channel project which authorized dredging, snagging, clearing overhanging trees and removing sunken vessels. However, steamboats and other river boats needed more than four feet of water to maneuver so a 4½- foot channel project was authorized in 1878, followed by a 6-foot project in 1907. By the turn of the century the free flowing river had been changed into a channelized version though the use of wing dams and closing dams. By 1930, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had built more than 1,000 wing dams in the 140-mile stretch between the Twin Cities and La Crosse and had closed many of the upper river’s side channels. As a result, the rivers wide shallows, braided channels and sandbars were eliminated.

By 1900 the river was channelized but was still free flowing.
The building of the locks and dams in the 1930s transformed the river into a series of navigation pools.

These channel improvement projects culminated in the building of locks and dams in the 1930s to maintain a 9-foot deep channel. The navigation dams created a stairway of reservoirs or navigation pools from Minneapolis, Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri. ...More from U.S Army Corps of Engineers – St. Paul District.

Currently this system includes 29 locks and dams on the Mississippi River and eight on the Illinois River. Ten locks and dams are located along the western boundary of Wisconsin between Prescott, Wisconsin and Dubuque, Iowa.

This important transportation artery still serves as a primary link between the rich farmland of the Midwest and the markets for corn, soybeans and wheat throughout the world.

In recent years, barges transported 70 to 80 million tons of commodities annually on the Upper Mississippi River System. Grain, coal, and petroleum products are the leading cargoes.

According to the Corps’ 2004 draft feasibility study (USACE, 2004); the Upper Mississippi River carried approximately 60 percent of the nation’s corn exports and 45 percent of the nation’s soybean exports.

Freight moving on this major artery provides $12-14 billion in economic activity supporting 400,000 full or part time jobs. The natural resources of the Upper Mississippi River System are equally important to the nation. In 1986, Congress officially recognized the Upper Mississippi River System as a nationally significant ecosystem as well as a nationally significant commercial navigation system. The river provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife in addition to meeting the needs of people for drinking water, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment and renewal.

There are five national refuges along the Upper Mississippi River System, totaling over 297,000 acres. They include the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge, the Illinois River Refuge System and the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. In addition the five states bordering the river manage another 190,000 acres of habitat.

The Upper Mississippi River and its floodplain provide habitat for 45 amphibian and reptile species, 57 mammal species and 37 species of freshwater mussels. More from USGS on the Mississippi River Biology

It is a globally important flyway for 326 bird species (60%) of all North American birds .

It is a migratory flyway for 40% of all North American waterfowl.

The Upper Mississippi River is home to over 260 fish species, some of ancient linage. The river supports both a commercial and recreational fishery.

Recreational visits to the Upper Mississippi River region exceeded 11 million trips in 2000, more than most national parks, including Yellowstone. Annual recreational expenditures on the Upper Mississippi River system are estimated at about $1.2 billion. Recreation and tourism employ 143,000 people in the corridor.

From St. Cloud, Minnesota in the north to Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the south, the Upper Mississippi River provides water to 23 public water suppliers serving a combined population of approximately 2.8 million people. More from Upper Mississippi River Basin Association UMRBA. However years of human alterations and abuse have taken a toll even though the Upper Mississippi River is still regarded as an ecological treasure. Many of the changes were a result of channelizing the river and building the locks and dams which converted a free flowing meandering river into a series of slackwater navigation pools. But there have been other changes as well including:

The river was separated from its floodplain by the building of levees which resulted in a 50% reduction in the floodplain. This has impacted the rivers ability to absorb floodwaters because the river cannot spread out over its natural (and much wider) floodplain.

Human activities and land use in the watershed have increased sediment and nutrient problems in the river. Sediment can fill in backwater areas, increase turbidity and bring in pesticides and other toxic chemicals. The Upper Mississippi River Basin is attributed with 31% of the nutrients reaching the Gulf of Mexico, contributing to Gulf Hypoxia also known as the “Dead Zone.” More from EPA- Gulf Hypoxia

By connecting Lake Michigan to the Illinois River we have created a pathway for invasion of non-native species such as the zebra mussel. Management of the River today is dependent on partnerships, cooperation and coordination between federal, state and county governments because the Upper Mississippi River System is an enormous and complex natural resource that borders five states. Not only do the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have active roles in the management of the river but the adjoining states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri own wildlife management units, parks and forests within the floodplain. States have also retained management rights and responsibilities for different interests. For example, in Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources has the responsibility of protecting the navigable water rights of the citizens of the state, the right of access for fish related conservation work, and the custody and protection of the fishery in the river. Many of the counties, towns and other municipalities have property within the floodplain as well. All of these entities have different roles and sometimes divergent interests in river management. Non profit organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and Audubon have also targeted efforts for conservation and restoration action toward the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Although balancing the needs and demands of navigation, agriculture, recreation, industry and wildlife is not easy there are organizations and programs that help to facilitate management of the river such as:

Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA), the regional interstate organization formed by the Governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin to coordinate the states' river-related programs and policies and work with federal agencies that have river responsibilities.

Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC) focuses on coordinating resource management activities among the five states bordering the Upper Mississippi River and works in cooperation with federal agencies that manage the river’s resources.

River Resources Forum -an interagency advisory group to the St. Paul District of the Corps of Engineers.

River Resources Coordinating Team, an interagency advisory group to the Rock Island District of the Corps of Engineers.

Programs such as Environmental Management Program and the Navigation Ecosystem Sustainability Program These organizations have fostered coordination and communication on major policy and management issues that affect the Mississippi River. Planning documents include:

Pool Plans http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/default.asp?pageid=1265&subpageid=397,

Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Navigation Ecosystem Sustainability Program( NESP) Plans

Last Revised: June 8, 2007