Lay of the Land Between Old River and the Mississippi

This model of the land elevation between the Mississippi, the Atchafalaya, and the Old River show the uphill fight to control river flow.

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Low Water on the Mississippi Causes Barge Backup

The drought of 2012 reduced traffic to one towboat at a time; groundings closed parts of the river for hours to days.

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Taming the Mississippi River

Engineers use levees, floodways, dams, and much more to control the ever restless Mississippi.

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Mississippi Meanders

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Mississippi River Well Below Normal

Coming off of the extreme floods of 2011, the river was approaching historic lows in the summer of 2012 near Memphis and along much of its lower reaches.

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Winter Flooding on the Mississippi

Persistent rains and saturated soils across the watershed swelled the river to its banks and occasionally onto floodplains.

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Burlington, Iowa, and the Mississippi Floodplain

The city has a commanding view of the fertile and well-vegetated river basin and plain.

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Flooding in Memphis

Acquired May 10, 2011, and April 21, 2010, these natural-color images show flooded and normal conditions along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Mississippi River Sediment Plume

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Winter Flooding in Mississippi and Louisiana

Persistent heavy rains in the first two months of 2020 have swelled rivers from Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico.

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