MRC president Brig. Gen. Kimberly Peeples explains the significance of the Lock and 24 Dam project. Lock and Dam 24 was the first dam on the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Project constructed without roller gates. It was designed with the highest level of tainter gate technology available and incorporated 15, 80-foot long, fully submersible tainter gates into the 1,340-foot long dam. These tainter gates were innovative that they rendered roller gate technology, the principle engineering feature in dam construction at the time. The tainter gates were innovative that they rendered roller gate technology, the principle engineering feature in dam construction at the time, obsolete.
MRC members listen to testimony during the 409th session of the low water inspection trip. The Commission listened to concerns and issues from the public as they related to MRC and Corps programs and projects. The hearings, engagements and dialogue help maintain a consistent connection amongst our publics, stakeholders and partners. This process provides a greater voice for those who live and work in the region in shaping federal management and policy on the river.
Brigadier General Kimberly A. Peeples assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Wednesday, July 12. She is the President Designee of the Mississippi River Commission.
Brigadier Mark C. Quander, MRC Designated Member, assumed command of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division (LRD). Before assuming command of LRD, Quander served as the Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY. BG Quander graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1995 and earned a commission as an Engineer officer.
Mississippi River Commission members in the MRC hearing room onboard MV MISSISSIPPI before the start of the first public hearing of the 409th session of the low water inspection trip in Cape Girardeau, MO. Members not in photo, BG Van Epps and BG Quander. The hearings, engagements and dialogue help maintain a consistent connection amongst our publics, stakeholders and partners. This process provides a greater voice for those who live and work in the region in shaping federal management and policy on the river.

Mississippi River Basin mapThe Mississippi River Commission (MRC) was established by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1879. Congress charged the MRC with the mission to develop plans to improve the condition of the Mississippi River, foster navigation, promote commerce, and prevent destructive floods—perhaps the most difficult and complex engineering problem ever undertaken by the federal government up to that time.

Today the MRC, which is headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss., provides water resources engineering direction and policy advice to the Administration, Congress and the Army in a drainage basin that covers 41 percent of the United States and parts of two Canadian provinces by overseeing the planning and reporting on the improvements on the Mississippi River. The intent behind the mission of the MRC today is the same as the mission placed on the commission upon its creation—to lead sustainable management and development of water related resources for the nation’s benefit and the people’s well-being.

In its current capacity, the Mississippi River Commission is charged with prosecuting the comprehensive river management program known as the Mississippi River and Tributaries project.