The 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 flood prevention. Headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss., the MRC 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. The MRC's mission is the same as the mission placed on it upon its creation - to lead sustainable management and development of water related reources for the nation's benefit and the people's well-being.