If you love the Mississippi River, you should know who shapes it. One of the most powerful players in the River’s past, present, and future is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, often simply called "the Corps." (Prounounced: the ‘core’)

Founded in 1775, the Corps is a federal agency with both military and civilian duties. While their origins lie in military engineering, their modern role includes managing America’s water infrastructure—rivers, levees, dams, ports, and more.

But unlike the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which focuses on water quality, the Corps shapes the physical structure of our rivers and coastlines. That means they have enormous influence over how rivers like the Mississippi flow, flood, and function—for better or worse.

A Brief History of the Corps on the Mississippi

The Corps first got involved in the Mississippi River in 1824, when Congress asked them to clear debris for commercial shipping. Since then, they’ve:

• Constructed 29 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi
  
• Built levees and floodwalls throughout the floodplain
  
• Maintained a 9-foot-deep navigation channel from St. Paul to St. Louis
  
• Regularly dredged and armored riverbanks to stabilize navigation routes

These changes turned the Mississippi into an industrial highway—but at a steep ecological cost. Habitats were disconnected. Native species declined. Floodplains were cut off from the River. In short, the Mississippi was transformed to serve a single purpose: navigation.

From Navigation to Restoration

For most of its history, the Corps focused almost exclusively on moving barges and preventing floods. But in the 1980s, the environmental costs of that approach became impossible to ignore.

In 1986, Congress established the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program (UMRR)—the Corps’ first large-scale effort to monitor and rehabilitate a working River. Today, UMRR supports both habitat restoration projects and long-term ecosystem monitoring, and it's one of the most respected restoration programs in the world.

Another program—the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP)—was authorized in 2007 to add new locks and invest in additional restoration, but it has struggled to gain funding and momentum. 

Meanwhile, the Lower Mississippi River, which is home to critical habitats and vulnerable communities, has yet to receive the equivalent level of restoration investment. A recently authorized study to explore restoration options was unfortunately defunded in 2025.

Why This Matters for the River—and for All of Us

The Mississippi River touches nearly everything:
🌊 It supplies drinking water to 20 million people
🕊️ It supports 25% of North America’s fish species and 60% of its bird species
💼 It drives a $500 billion economy tied to natural resources and recreation
🌱 It holds deep cultural, spiritual, and historical significance for many, including Indigenous, Black, and rural communities along its banks.

Yet, despite decades of Corps-led ecosystem restoration, only 10% of the River and its floodplain remain ecologically healthy, with most of this area in the upper reaches, where the River and floodplain are protected as parks or refuges.

Many of the Corps’ navigation and flood control projects continue to operate without ever having undergone modern environmental reviews or mitigation. The systems that built the River into a commercial superhighway also fragmented habitats, displaced communities, and increased flood risk downstream.

Where One Mississippi Comes In

One Mississippi engages directly with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advocate for restoration, accountability, and community voice. Examples of One Mississippi's participation and impact include:

• Member of Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program’s Committees
• Lead communications and outreach efforts to connect the public to the process
• Convene the USACE Hives, a collective of Non-Government Agencies (NGOs) collaborating on federal engagement
• Bring Corps leaders into public spaces, like our River Days of Action
• And help thousands of people speak up through action alerts and campaigns

Our mission is to ensure the River is managed not just for industry—but for ecosystems, communities, and future generations.

“The Mississippi River must be managed not just for barges and industry—but for ecosystems, communities, and future generations.”
— One Mississippi

What’s Next in This Series

In future blogs, we’ll explore:

• How the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program (UMRR) works and why it matters
  
• What’s at stake with the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP)
  
• How we’re pushing for a more just and ecologically sound future for the Mississippi
  

If you want to understand how federal River decisions are made—and how you can shape them—this series is for you.

📣 Want to stay involved?

Join our email list by becoming a River Citizen, follow us on social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn), or check out ways you can take action. Together, we can build a future where the Mississippi River thrives for all who depend on it.