Navigation
The Missouri River supports navigation from Sioux City, Iowa to the confluence with the Mississippi River, near St. Louis, Missouri. Flows from the Missouri River also contribute to navigation on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans, Louisiana. Drought and low water on the Missouri River have limited barge traffic in recent years.
Past
The Missouri River’s early alignment and flow depths would change dramatically over time, making navigation uncertain. Lewis and Clark fought strong currents as they traveled upstream, and the braided nature of the Missouri River made travel difficult.
Active management for navigation and bank stabilization commenced in 1912, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) began securing a 6-foot deep channel between Kansas City, Missouri and the mouth at St. Louis.
Efforts to improve the navigation channel continued. In 1945, the Rivers and Harbor Act established the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project and authorized a 9-foot deep and minimum 300-foot wide channel from Sioux City to St. Louis.
Present
Today, the Corps maintains the Missouri River channel. Its smooth bends are set in place by navigation structures — dikes and revetments — which concentrate the Missouri River so that the water flow helps maintain the channel. The Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project has safeguarded numerous cities and communities from destructive river erosion and channel migration for many decades.
