Upper Mississippi River

Last updated
Upper Mississippi River
Efmo View from Fire Point.jpg
The Upper Mississippi River near Harpers Ferry, Iowa
Location
CountryUS, Canada [1]
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • location Lake Itasca, Minnesota [1]
 • coordinates 47°15′11″N95°12′43″W / 47.253°N 95.212°W / 47.253; -95.212
 • elevation450 m (1,480 ft) [2]
Mouth  
 • location
 St. Louis, Missouri (flows into the Middle Mississippi) [1]
Length1,300 miles (2092.147 km) [3]
Basin size490,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) [4]
Discharge 
 • average5,796 m3/s (204,700 cu ft/s) [5]
Barge going under the Mississippi River Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin) Barge Mississippi.jpg
Barge going under the Mississippi River Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin)

The Upper Mississippi River is today the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, [1] at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River.[ citation needed ] Historically, it may refer to the area above the Arkansas Post, above the confluence of Ohio River, or above Cape Girardeau.

Contents

History

In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper Mississippi east and south of Fort Snelling is a portion of the now-extinct Glacial River Warren which carved the valley of the Minnesota River, permitting the immense Glacial Lake Agassiz to join the world's oceans at the Gulf of Mexico. The collapse of ice dams holding back Glacial Lake Duluth and Glacial Lake Grantsburg carved out the Dalles of the St. Croix River at Interstate Park. The Upper Mississippi River valley likely originated as an ice-marginal stream during the Pre-Illinoian Stage. [6] [7]

The Driftless Area is a portion of North America left unglaciated at that ice age's height, hence not smoothed out or covered over by previous geological processes.

Inasmuch as the Wisconsin glaciation formed lobes that met (and blocked) where the Mississippi now flows, and given that huge amounts of glacial meltwater were flowing into the Driftless Area, and that there is no lakebed, it is assumed that there were instances of ice dams bursting.[ citation needed ]

Characteristics

The Upper Mississippi from below St. Anthony Falls (Minneapolis, Minnesota) downstream to St. Paul, Minnesota is a gorge with high limestone bluffs carved by the waterfall. Upstream of the waterfall the land slopes gently to rivers edge. Downstream of downtown St. Paul the river enters its wide preglacial valley. The states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, along with the federal government, have preserved certain areas of the land along this reach of the river.

There are three National Park Service sites along the Upper Mississippi River. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is the National Park Service site dedicated to protecting and interpreting the Mississippi River itself. The other two National Park Service sites along the river are: Effigy Mounds National Monument and the Gateway Arch National Park (home to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis).

Unlike the Lower Mississippi, much of the upper river is a series of pools created by a system of 29 locks and dams. The structures were authorized by Congress in the 1930s, and most were completed by 1940. [8] A primary reason for damming the river is to facilitate barge transportation. The dams regulate water levels for the Upper River and play a major part in regulating levels on the Lower Mississippi. [ citation needed ]

Upper Mississippi River by Kings Bluff.jpg
Upper Mississippi Valley close to Winona, Minnesota and Kings Bluff

Ecology

Locks and dam 15 Lock and dam Upper Mississippi.jpg
Locks and dam 15
Lock and dam 7 with I-90 in the background Lock and dam 7 with I-90 in the background.jpg
Lock and dam 7 with I-90 in the background

On the upper reaches near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, the river's floodplain is between 1.5 and 5 kilometers (between 1 and 3 mi) wide. South of St. Louis, Missouri, the alluvial floodplain is approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) wide. Major tributaries to the Upper Mississippi River include the Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, St. Croix, Chippewa, Black, Wisconsin, and Kaskaskia Rivers. [9]

The Upper Mississippi provides habitat for more than 125 fish species and 30 species of freshwater mussels. Three national wildlife refuges along the river cover a total of 465 square kilometers (285,000 ac). The largest of them, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, is over 420 kilometers (260 mi) long, reaching from the Alma, Wisconsin area down to Rock Island, Illinois. The refuge consists of blufflands, marshes, bottomland forest, islands, channels, backwater lakes and sloughs. [9] [10] It is part of the Mississippi Flyway.

Although the river is much cleaner than it was in recent decades, water quality is still a priority concern. Agricultural runoff, including sediment, excessive nutrients, (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus), and chemicals from agricultural and industrial sources continue to threaten Upper Mississippi River aquatic resources. In addition new threats continue to emerge such as personal care items including pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The five states bordering the Upper Mississippi River are working together to address water quality issues. [11] [12] [13]

There is general agreement that nutrients are contributing to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone and to eutrophication problems in Lake Pepin, a large natural riverine lake that is part of Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River. National and regional efforts are addressing these problems, but nutrient impairment problems are occurring elsewhere in the Upper Mississippi River as well, particularly in off-channel portions. Excessive nutrients contribute to thick floating mats of filamentous algae or duckweeds that have a pronounced negative impact on light penetration and may threaten the growth and persistence of submerged aquatic vegetation that is important for fish and aquatic life, including waterfowl. Efforts to control nutrients from point and non-point sources in the basin have aimed to provide additional benefits. [14] [ failed verification ]

The inland and intracoastal waterways, with the Upper Mississippi highlighted in red. Upper Mississippi.png
The inland and intracoastal waterways, with the Upper Mississippi highlighted in red.

Navigation locks allow towboats, barges, and other vessels to transit the dams. Approximately 1350 kilometers (850 mi), from the head of navigation in Mile 858, Minneapolis, Minnesota down to Cairo, has been made suitable for commercial navigation with a depth of 2.75 meters (9 ft). [9] The agriculture and barge transportation industries have lobbied in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for a multibillion-dollar project to upgrade the aging lock and dam system. Some environmental groups and advocates of budgetary restraint argue that the project lacks economic justification. [15]

Each lock and dam complex creates a pool upstream of it. There are 29 locks on the Upper Mississippi maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—from Upper St. Anthony Falls upstream to Chain of Rocks downstream. [16] The locks provide a collective 123 meters (404 ft) of lift. [17]

La Crosse County barge harbor La Crosse Mississippi River barge and mooring dolphins-7.jpg
La Crosse County barge harbor
Lock and Dam 6 time lapse
Barge on the Upper Mississippi

Expansion proposals for locks

Upper Mississippi locks expansion study Upper Mississippi locks expansion study.jpeg
Upper Mississippi locks expansion study

The Army Corps of Engineers has studied expanding locks 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the Upper Mississippi. [18]

List of pools and locks

PoolLocalityLockMile marker(km)Distance(km)
USAF Pool Minneapolis MN Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock 8541375  
LSAF Pool Minneapolis MN Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock 853137312
Pool 1 Minneapolis MN Lock 1 848136558
Pool 2 Hastings MN Lock 2 81513123353
Pool 3 Welch MN Lock 3 79712831829
Pool 4 Alma WI Lock 4 75312124471
Pool 5 Minnesota City MN Lock 5 73811881524
Pool 5A Fountain City WI Lock 5A 72811721016
Pool 6 Trempealeau WI Lock 6 71411501423
Pool 7 La Crescent MN Lock 7 70311321118
Pool 8 Genoa WI Lock 8 67910932439
Pool 9 Eastman WI Lock 9 64810433150
Pool 10 Guttenberg IA Lock 10 6159903353
Pool 11 Dubuque IA Lock 11 5839393252
Pool 12 Bellevue IA Lock 12 5578972642
Pool 13 Clinton IA Lock 13 5228403556
Pool 14 LeClaire IA Lock 14 4937942947
Pool 15 Rock Island IL Lock 15 4837781016
Pool 16 Illinois City IL Lock 16 4577362642
Pool 17 New Boston IL Lock 17 4377042032
Pool 18 Gladstone IL Lock 18 4106602743
Pool 19 Keokuk IA Lock 19 3645864674
Pool 20 Canton MO Lock 20 3435522134
Pool 21 Quincy IL Lock 21 3255231829
Pool 22 New London MO Lock 22 3014852439
Pool 24 Clarksville MO Lock 24 2734402845
Pool 25 Winfield MO Lock 25 2413883252
Mel Price Pool East Alton IL Melvin Price Lock 2013244064
Pool 27 Granite City IL Lock 27 1852981626

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi River</span> Major river in the United States

The Mississippi River is the primary river, and second-longest river, of the largest drainage basin in the United States. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,340 miles (3,766 km) to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. The main stem is entirely within the United States; the total drainage basin is 1,151,000 sq mi (2,980,000 km2), of which only about one percent is in Canada. The Mississippi ranks as the thirteenth-largest river by discharge in the world. The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri River</span> Major river in central United States

The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States. Rising in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana, the Missouri flows east and south for 2,341 miles (3,767 km) before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. The river drains semi-arid watershed of more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 km2), which includes parts of ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Although a tributary of the Mississippi, the Missouri River is slightly longer and carries a comparable volume of water. When combined with the lower Mississippi River, it forms the world's fourth-longest river system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois River</span> Illinois tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States

The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately 273 miles (439 km) long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of 28,756.6 square miles (74,479 km2). The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers in the Chicago metropolitan area, and it generally flows to the southwest across Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi near Grafton, Illinois. Its drainage basin extends into southeastern Wisconsin, northwestern Indiana, and a very small area of southwestern Michigan in addition to central Illinois. Along its shores are several river ports, including Peoria, Illinois. Historic and recreation areas on the river include Starved Rock, and the internationally important wetlands of the Emiquon Complex and Dixon Waterfowl Refuge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Anthony Falls</span> Waterfall in Mississippi River into the Mississippi River Gorge in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony, located at the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Throughout the mid-to-late 1800s, various dams were built atop the east and west faces of the falls to support the milling industry that spurred the growth of the city of Minneapolis. In 1880, the central face of the falls was reinforced with a sloping timber apron to stop the upstream erosion of the falls. In the 1950s, the apron was rebuilt with concrete, which makes up the most visible portion of the falls today. A series of locks were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s to extend navigation to points upstream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)</span> River in Wisconsin and Minnesota, United States

The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 169 miles (272 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower 125 miles (201 km) of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A hydroelectric plant at the Saint Croix Falls Dam supplies power to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White River (Arkansas–Missouri)</span> River in the US

The White River is a 722-mile (1,162 km) river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri. Originating in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, it arcs northwards through southern Missouri before turning back into Arkansas, flowing southeast to its mouth at the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacial Lake Wisconsin</span> Prehistoric lake in Wisconsin, United States

Glacial Lake Wisconsin was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed from approximately 18,000 to 14,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, in the central part of present-day Wisconsin in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox–Wisconsin Waterway</span>

The Fox–Wisconsin Waterway is a waterway formed by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. First used by European settlers in 1673 during the expedition of Marquette & Joliet, it was one of the principal routes used by travelers between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River until the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848 and the arrival of railroads. The western terminus of the Fox–Wisconsin Waterway was at the Mississippi at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It continued up the Wisconsin River about 116 miles (187 km) until reaching Portage, Wisconsin. There travelers would portage to the Upper Fox River, or eventually, use the Portage Canal. It continued about 160 miles (260 km) down the Fox River, following it through Lake Winnebago and continuing on the Lower Fox over 170 feet of falls to the eastern terminus of Green Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driftless Area</span> Geological region in the Midwestern United States

The Driftless Area, also known as Bluff Country and the Paleozoic Plateau, is a topographical and cultural region in the Midwestern United States that comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. The Driftless Area is a USDA Level III Ecoregion: Ecoregion 52. The Driftless Area takes up a large portion of the Upper Midwest forest–savanna transition. The Blufflands refers to the eastern section of the Driftless area in Minnesota, due to the steep bluffs and cliffs around the river valleys. The western half is known as the Rochester Plateau, which is flatter than the Blufflands. The Coulee Region refers to the southwestern part of the Driftless Area in Wisconsin. It is named for its numerous ravines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Pepin</span> Lake in Minnesota and Wisconsin, US

Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River on the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is located in a valley carved by the outflow of an enormous glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age. The lake formed when the Mississippi, a successor to the glacial river, was partially dammed by a delta from a tributary stream and spread out across the ancient valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lock and Dam No. 1</span> Dam in Minnesota, United States.

Ford Dam, officially known as Lock and Dam No. 1, is on the Upper Mississippi River and is located between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota just north of the confluence of the Mississippi with the Minnesota River at Mississippi River mile 847.9, in Minneapolis. The powerhouse portion was previously owned by the Ford Motor Company, which operated a hydroelectric power station to feed electricity to its Twin Cities Assembly Plant on the east side of the river. It was sold to Brookfield Power Co. in April 2008. The dual-lock facility and dam was built and is operated by the St. Paul district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi Valley Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Minnesota</span> Overview of the geology of the U.S. state of Minnesota

The geology of Minnesota comprises the rock, minerals, and soils of the U.S. state of Minnesota, including their formation, development, distribution, and condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chain of Rocks Lock</span> Dam in Madison County, Illinois

Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam, also known as Locks No. 27, is a lock situated at the southern end of Chouteau Island near St. Louis, Missouri on the Upper Mississippi River. Its associated dam is just downstream of the Chain of Rocks Bridge, and the lock is located over 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast on the Chain of Rocks canal. The canal and locks allow river traffic to bypass a portion of the river that is unnavigable in low water due to an anticlinal exposure of bedrock in the river—a "chain of rocks".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traverse Gap</span> River channel in Minnesota, US

The Traverse Gap is an ancient river channel occupied by Lake Traverse, Big Stone Lake and the valley connecting them at Browns Valley, Minnesota. It is located on the border of the U.S. states of Minnesota and South Dakota. Traverse Gap has an unusual distinction for a valley: it is crossed by a continental divide, and in some floods, water has flowed across that divide from one drainage basin to the other. Before the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 it marked the border between British territory in the north and U.S. – or earlier, French – territory in the south.

Glacial River Warren, also known as River Warren, was a prehistoric river that drained Lake Agassiz in central North America between about 13,500 and 10,650 BP calibrated years ago. A part of the uppermost portion of the former river channel was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1966.

Floods in the United States before 1900 is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to the country, before 1900. Floods are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, and dam failure.

The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 is part of Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law  99–662, a series of acts enacted by Congress of the United States on November 17, 1986.

The Water Resources Development Act of 1992, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law  102–580, was enacted by Congress of the United States on October 31, 1992. Most of the provisions of WRDA 1992 are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

The Water Resources Development Act of 2000, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law  106–541 (text)(PDF), was enacted by Congress of the United States on December 11, 2000. Most of the provisions of WRDA 2000 are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mississippi River | History, Physical Features, Culture, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. ↑ "General Information about the Mississippi River". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  3. ↑ "UMESC - About the Upper Mississippi River System". www.umesc.usgs.gov. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "River and Basin Facts". Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  5. ↑ "Background on Upper Mississippi River Basin". EPA: Mississippi River Basin & Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  6. ↑ Hallberg, G. R. (1986). "Pre-Wisconsin glacial stratigraphy of the central plains region in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri". Quaternary Science Reviews. 5: 11–15. Bibcode:1986QSRv....5...11H. doi:10.1016/0277-3791(86)90169-1.
  7. ↑ Richmond, G. (1986). "Summation of quaternary glaciations in the United States of America". Quaternary Science Reviews. 5: 183–196. Bibcode:1986QSRv....5..183R. doi:10.1016/0277-3791(86)90184-8.
  8. ↑ "About the Upper Mississippi River System". USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. Retrieved 2006-03-13.
  9. 1 2 3 "Basin Facts". Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  10. ↑ "About the refuges". Friends of the Upper Mississippi River Refuges. Archived from the original on April 3, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
  11. ↑ "Issues and Challenges- Water Quality". Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  12. ↑ "2007 Water Quality Program Report- Protecting Water Quality through Interstate Cooperation". Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  13. ↑ "Upper Mississippi River Nutrient Monitoring, Occurrence, and Local Impacts: A Clean Water Act Perspective" (PDF). Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  14. ↑ "Nutrient Impairment Identification in the Upper Mississippi River". Mississippi River Basin Nutrients Science Workshop, October 4–6, 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  15. ↑ Marcia Zarley Taylor (8 March 2006). "River debate continues". AgWeb. Retrieved 2006-03-13.[ dead link ]
  16. ↑ There is a Lock 5 as well as a Lock 5A, and there is no Lock 23. "Operation & Maintenance of Navigation Installations (OMNI) Reports". Rock Island District Engineers. Archived from the original on 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2006-04-27.
  17. ↑ "U.S. Waterway System Facts, December 2005" (PDF). USACE Navigation Data Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2006-04-27.
  18. ↑ Walker, Brad (February 2010). "Big Price—Little Benefit: Proposed Locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are not Economically Viable" (PDF). Nicollet Island Coalition. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
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