Mississippi River Commission

05/29/2026

The Recovery

As soon as the 2011 flood began to recede, the Mississippi Valley Division launched "Operation Watershed-Recovery" a comprehensive strategy to inspect, repair, and strengthen the entire Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) system.

The first step was a massive data-gathering mission. Teams of engineers produced 44 detailed Damage Assessment Reports, meticulously documenting every issue from sand boils and seepage to levee slides and erosion across thousands of miles of the river system. The repairs were then prioritized based upon the risk they posed to the system. In total, engineers identified 118 critical repair projects that needed to be addressed quickly to prepare the system for the next flood. And it would not take long to test the newly rebuilt system. Major floods in 2015-2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020 showed the necessity of swiftly repairing and rebuilding the system. Thanks to the success of “Operation Watershed Recovery,” the MR&T was able to safely pass these floods.

Every flood is a teacher, and the 2011 flood taught engineers where the system’s vulnerabilities were and how the system could be improved. As we head towards the centennial of the MR&T project, let us take those lessons learned and complete the MR&T so that the people of the valley can continue to enjoy the safety and prosperity this system has provided for the next 100 years.

05/28/2026

Did you know that the Office of the President of the Mississippi River Commission used to be in New York City?

The Commission Comes to Vicksburg

Next month, the Mississippi River Commission will leave its home of 82 years to set up a new temporary headquarters at the Engineer Research and Development Center. The move will be the first since the Commission moved into its current historic building in 1944. Prior to that, the Commission’s headquarters was located at the Vicksburg Military Park, and prior to that, the Commission called St. Louis, Missouri, home.

In the fall of 1929, the Commission loaded its furnishings onto barges and prepared to set forth on an 800-mile journey down the Mississippi River to its new home in Vicksburg. The Commission’s home had been St. Louis, Missouri, since its creation in 1879. However, the location of the Commission president’s office had moved several times.

The Commission’s first meeting was held in Washington, D.C., in 1879, but the Commission promptly established a permanent office in St. Louis that same year. Although its famed inspection trips were held aboard the Steamer MISSISSPPI, the day-to-day operations of the Commission were carried out in its District Offices in Memphis, Vicksburg and New Orleans, decades before the establishment of the current Corps of Engineer Districts on the lower Mississippi River in 1929.

While the Commission’s Headquarters was in St. Louis, the Office of the President of the Commission was in the Army Building at 39 Whitehall St. in New York City until 1901. This was because the president of the Commission also served as an Army Officer and had dual duties. The Army decided that the cost of transporting the president between New York and St. Louis was too high, so they decided to keep his main office in the Army Building. In fact, Secretary of War Elihu Root strongly opposed moving the president’s office out of New York City all the way up until 1901, when Congress passed a law requiring the Commission’s offices to “be located at some city or town on the Mississippi River.” Shortly after Congress passed this law, the president’s office was moved to St. Louis.

During its long tenure in St. Louis, the Commission’s primary residence was the Old Post Office building at 815 Olive St. One can still visit this restored historic building today. For two months before the Commission’s final move, it occupied the Victoria Building in St. Louis, another historic building, yet one that no longer stands, as it was demolished in 1973.

On November 30, 1929, the last items were placed on barges, and the steamer began its journey to the Commission’s new home. The move to Vicksburg would allow the Commission to be centrally located in the lower Mississippi valley so that it could focus its attention on the recently authorized Mississippi River and Tributaries Project. The move also included the establishment of the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg (now the Engineer Research and Development Center) under the supervision of the Commission. When the Commission first arrived in Vicksburg, its offices were located in a small building in the Vicksburg Military Park.

The Commission occupied this building until 1944, when it moved into its current home at 1400 Walnut St. in old downtown Vicksburg, an historic landmark that still draws the admiration of visitors to this very day. The Commission looks forward to returning to its historic home in downtown Vicksburg once the renovations are complete.

05/25/2026

Honoring and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight for our freedom.

Today and throughout the year take time to remember the lives lost fighting for our freedom.

05/20/2026

As we wrap up our reflection on the Great Flood of 2011, we look back 15 years to a time when the mighty Mississippi River put the region’s flood defenses to the ultimate test.

River stages in Greenville, Vicksburg, and Natchez reached historic crests, but the fight downstream was far from over. As record floodwaters surged toward the New Orleans District, decades of engineering, planning, and preparation were called into action to protect millions of residents in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

To manage the unprecedented pressure, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi River Commission made critical and highly calculated decisions.

The region’s complex flood control “plumbing system” was activated through the operation of Old River Control Complex to divert Project Design Flood Flows to the Atchafalaya River, Bonnet Carré Spillway and the Morganza Floodway, safely diverting massive amounts of water into Lake Pontchartrain and the Atchafalaya Basin.

It marked the first time since 1973 that both spillways had been operated during the same flood event. From the Morganza Floodway to the Gulf, the Mississippi River & Tributaries Project (MR&T) was experiencing Project Design Flood flows for the first time. Ironically, while the Mississippi River was experiencing the Project Design Flood in the New Orleans reach, the Red River in western Louisiana, was experiencing record low flows due to local drought.

Thanks to the foresight of generations of engineers, the strength of the flood control system, and the tireless efforts of countless individuals, the system performed as designed. While significant impacts were felt, especially throughout the backwater areas of the Atchafalaya Basin, the major metropolitan areas were ultimately spared from catastrophic flooding.

The Great Flood of 2011 remains a powerful reminder of both nature’s immense force and human ingenuity, and of the ongoing commitment to protecting the communities that live and work along the mighty Mississippi River.

05/13/2026

The River Wants Out!

Fifteen years ago, the Mississippi River swelled to historic levels, and the Vicksburg District faced one of its greatest challenges. A forecast for a record-breaking crest, higher than the devastating floods of 1927 and 1973, set off a desperate race against time.

The challenges were immense and multifaceted.

Based on updated forecasts in early May and the then current understanding of the MR&T, it was determined that the Yazoo Backwater Levee north of Vicksburg, MS would overtop by as much as a foot for several miles. This overtopping is a part of the operation of the MR&T system (Room for the River concept) during the most extreme floods to temporarily store the water while conditions downstream peaked.

However, this type of overtopping had never happened. Engineers at the Vicksburg District decided to armor the levee’s land side with plastic sheeting to prevent scour and potential failure of the levee which would be catastrophic.

This decision was made rapidly and the plan executed efficiently. As the river peaked near Vicksburg, MS the 3rd week of May 2011, water levels were nearly halfway across the gravel road atop the Yazoo Backwater Levee but did not overtop. Valuable lessons were learned from top to bottom of the MR&T system during the 2011 Flood on how the system would convey the most extreme floods.

As stages continued to rise in early to mid-May of 2011, all eyes turned to the levee at Buck Chute near Eagle Lake, a known problem area for under seepage and dangerous sand boils. Failure here would have been catastrophic for the Mississippi Delta. To save the levee, engineers took immediate, aggressive action. This included constructing a massive emergency berm and making the difficult decision to intentionally raise the water level of Eagle Lake to create a counter-pressure against the river's force.

The entire system was springing leaks. Fearless crews worked around the clock, battling over 300 sand boil incidents, a terrifying levee slide, and immense pressure along hundreds of miles of levees. High-energy boils erupted near Francis and Winterville, threatening to undermine the levees in hours and requiring heroic efforts to control. Major flood fight efforts were also conducted at the river front in Vidalia, LA.

The Mississippi River Commission remained on the river and at critical locations throughout the entirety of this event; making decisions, taking briefs and offering guidance to the USACE Districts at the front lines of the flood.

The 2011 Flood across the MR&T system was a testament to both the strength of the nation’s most comprehensive flood control network and the unwavering dedication of the people who defend it. The system performed as designed to protect millions of people, reduce catastrophic damage to communities and sustain the economic lifeline of the American heartland.

05/06/2026

As we continue to remember the 2011 Flood, 15 years ago, the Mississippi River & Tributaries Project (MR&T) was already being tested in the early days of the flood.

In the face of an historic, angry, and swollen Mississippi River, a decision made saved countless lives and homes. During the Great Flood of 2011, immense pressure was placed on the levees at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

This pressure caused large sand boils along the entire system that were flood fought to prevent the movement of material causing potential levee failures.

After days of intense monitoring, engineering analysis, and agonizing deliberation, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, Commander of the Mississippi Valley Division and President of the Mississippi River Commission, made the difficult decision to activate the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway for the first time in 74 years.

This action intentionally sent a torrent of water across 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland relieving the immense pressure on the flood control system, protecting the city of Cairo, Illinois, and preventing a potentially catastrophic, uncontrolled levee failure. This moment of prudent foresight and extreme personal sacrifice for the residents of the floodway stands as a powerful testament to the difficult choices required to manage the immense power of the river.

Simultaneously, extreme rainfall at Wappapello Lake in southeast Missouri, at the headwaters of the St. Francis River Basin (the northern most flood control reservoir on the MR&T system), was causing a record pool level. Wappapello Lake was using well over 100% of its flood control capacity which caused a record uncontrolled spillway release which caused considerable damage to the spillway channel and major flooding downstream of the project. Although the project was pushed to the limits, the flood control benefits to the downstream communities were substantial.

Floodway activations on the MR&T System during the most extreme floods are essential in the “Room for the River” concept. Providing outlets and relief during the highest floods ensures the integrity of the entire system to provide the maximum flood control benefits.

04/29/2026

***This is the first in a series of posts remembering the 2011 Mississippi River flood and the enduring impact of the MR&T system.***

The Perfect Storm

As we mark the 15-year anniversary of the historic 2011 Mississippi River Flood, we recall the "perfect storm" of meteorological events that pushed the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) system to its absolute limits.

Following record-saturated soils and heavy winter snowpack, the situation reached a critical peak after two massive rainfall events from April 21–27 and April 30–May 2, 2011, which dropped more than 20 inches of rain across the central United States.

This unprecedented runoff was just the beginning of the flood of record on the Lower Mississippi River following the 1928 Flood Control Act authorizing the Corps of Engineers to design and construct the MR&T Project.

Transforming the Alluvial Valley into the "Alluvial Empire," the MR&T project has proven its historic value by preventing $2.7 trillion in flood damages—a staggering $124 return for every dollar invested.

04/12/2026

The Mississippi River Commission continued its participation in the 13th Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange with engagements in Vientiane, Lao PDR, including visits to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat and the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

During the visit, delegates exchanged best practices in weather forecasting, flood and drought management, and the use of innovative technologies to support disaster preparedness and response.

These technical exchanges provide valuable opportunities to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and identify areas for continued collaboration—advancing resilience for communities across both the Mississippi and Mekong River basins.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters

04/10/2026

The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) is participating in the 13th Mekong Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange in Bangkok, Thailand and Vientiane, Lao PDR.

This gathering brings together water resource leaders from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pacific Ocean Division (POD) and experts from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam, to advance collaboration in sustainable water and resource management.

"This exchange reflects a shared commitmentto deliver – bringing together engineering, data, and experience to address real challengeson our rivers," said Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples, president of MiRC-USA. "By applying what works and strengthening how we operate, we improve reliability, reduce risk, and support long-term economic stability for the communities we serve."

The Sister Rivers Partnership, established in 2010, aims to foster collaboration between the Mekong and Mississippi river basins to address shared challenges such as disaster risk reduction, sustainable river development, and regional cooperation.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters

03/27/2026

The final hearing in the four-part series of the 2026 High Water Inspection Trip is underway in Baton Rouge.

Your voice matters. Through your testimony, you help shape how we understand the challenges and opportunities facing the Mississippi River system.

These hearings, which are held aboard Motor Vessel Mississippi, have included multiple stops in riverside communities. Each stop was an opportunity to listen, learn and engage with the people who live and work along the river.

Established in 1879, the Mississippi River Commission is composed of seven members appointed by the President of the United States. The Commission’s authority spans the entire Mississippi River from the headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Head of Passes, Louisiana where the river meets the Gulf.

Listening, Inspecting, Partnering and Engineering since 1879.