Mississippi
Here’s how the locks and dams on the Mississippi River work, and why they exist
Get on a boat on the upper Mississippi River, and you’ll eventually come upon a looming concrete structure stretching across the river’s main channel.
It’s called a lock and dam, and it’s a distinct feature of the upper river. The construction of locks and dams, a major feat of engineering that occurred largely during the Great Depression, has transformed how the Mississippi River runs.
What are these locks and dams for? How do they work, who controls them, and what changes have they made to the river ecosystem?
Here’s what you should know.
Why are there locks and dams on the Mississippi River? How do they work?
Prior to the installment of the locks and dams, the upper Mississippi River was free-flowing, regularly cutting new paths — and sometimes it was so shallow that people could wade across it. The locks and dams were put in place so that boats hauling freight up and down the upper river could have easier passage.
In 1930, Congress approved a project that would ultimately create the current system: The upper river is divided into sections called pools, where a fixed amount of river is held back by a dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers controls how much water is in a pool at a given time. Each pool must be at least nine feet deep to allow towboats hauling barges to move through.
The construction of the locks and dams provided work for thousands of people along the upper river during the Great Depression. River towns grew in population as temporary workers moved in. An oral history project from the 1980s notes that in Genoa, Wis., near Lock and Dam 8, “Business boomed, particularly taverns,” and “Anyone having a room in a home had no trouble renting it.”
Between the headwaters in northern Minnesota and St. Louis, the river falls about 420 feet in elevation. When a boat enters a lock, the lock acts like an elevator, bringing the boat up or down to the water level of the next pool. You can also picture it like a staircase of water that boats and barges climb and descend.
Do the locks and dams control flooding on the river?
The locks and dams don’t provide flood control. Downstream from Wisconsin, there are levees meant to constrain the river away from communities and high-production farmland.
How many locks and dams are there?
There are 29 locks and dams on the upper river.
The first lock and dam structure, at Upper St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, has been closed to barge traffic since 2015. The Army Corps is currently considering the removal of the next two structures, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam 1, between Minneapolis and St. Paul, to return the river to its free-flowing past in the Twin Cities.
The southernmost lock and dam is near Granite City, Illinois, north of St. Louis.
Who operates them?
The Army Corps operates the locks and dams.
Why doesn’t the lower Mississippi have locks and dams?
The lower river, which stretches south from Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, does not have locks and dams. As major rivers like the Missouri and the Ohio join up with the Mississippi, the channel becomes deep and wide enough to naturally accommodate shipping.
Are the locks and dams in good condition?
When the locks and dams were constructed, mostly between 1930 and 1940, engineers estimated their life span to be about 50 years.
The Army Corps makes routine repairs to the structures, many of which still have original parts that are now around 90 years old. This winter, for example, they’ll drain the water out of Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings, Minnesota, to make repairs to its concrete. But the Corps reports that there’s an estimated billion-dollar maintenance backlog — and officials acknowledge that making fixes here and there may not be enough.
“At some point, we’re going to need some major rehabilitation of these structures,” Kristin Moe, navigation business line manager for the Army Corps’ St. Paul District, told the Journal Sentinel earlier this year.
Groups that represent the shipping industry contend that instead of making repairs to existing locks, the Army Corps should be constructing new ones that have a 1,200-foot chamber to more efficiently accommodate larger groups of barges than the current chambers, which are 600 feet long.
How have the locks and dams affected the river ecosystem?
Converting the free-flowing river into a series of pools has changed its natural habitats and processes. Because the dams caused more water to fill into the flood plain permanently, forest cover decreased and became fragmented, according to a 2022 study on the ecological status of the upper Mississippi.
Islands have shrunk or disappeared, attributed to wind and wave erosion across the pools, and backwater areas off the main channel have filled in with sediment, making them less hospitable to fish. Consistent high water levels have made it more difficult for some types of aquatic vegetation to survive.
In the decades since the locks and dams were constructed, the Army Corps has completed projects to try to address some of these consequences and revitalize habitat for fish and wildlife, including building new islands and dredging backwaters to restore their depth.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.
Mississippi
CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi
Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.
The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.
A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.
Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.
Mississippi State wins two in Texas
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.
Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.
Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.
A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.
Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.
Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament
In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.
Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.
Next up
Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.
Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.
Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.
Mississippi
Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball is playing its final regular season game against No. 6 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum on March 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network).
The Bulldogs (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enter the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing three consecutive games, so an upset win could secure an at-large bid.
The Tigers (25-4, 11-4) and coach Kim Mulkey have won three straight games. Their only losses of the season are to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina.
The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.
Watch Mississippi State vs LSU
Mississippi State vs LSU score updates
What time does Mississippi State vs LSU start?
- Date: Sunday, March 1
- Time: 3 p.m.
- Where: Humphrey Coliseum
What TV channel is Mississippi State vs LSU on today?
Mississippi State vs LSU prediction
- Sam Sklar, The Clarion Ledger: LSU 77, Mississippi State 74
Mississippi State vs LSU injury report
Mississippi State
None
LSU
- Meghan Yarnevich: Out
- Kailyn Gilbert: Out
Mississippi State women’s basketball schedule 2025-26
Remaining games on the Mississippi State schedule:
- March 4-8: SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mississippi State capitalized on free passes and timely hitting to pull away from Virginia Tech late, defeating the Hokies 15-8 Saturday at Globe Life Field.
The Bulldogs (11-0) collected 15 hits and went 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position, taking control with a five-run seventh inning before tacking on three more scores in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Mississippi State struck first in the opening inning. Aidan Teel singled and later scored on Reed Stallman’s RBI double to right, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead against Virginia Tech starter Griffin Stieg.
The Hokies fell behind further in the second when Teel delivered an RBI single and Ace Reese followed with a 399-foot two-run home run to right-center, pushing the margin to 4-0.
Virginia Tech answered in the third. Hudson Lutterman tripled to right field and Ethan Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the Bulldogs continued to manufacture offense, adding a run in the fifth after a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded made it 5-1.
The Hokies began to chip away in the sixth when Ethan Ball launched a 448-foot solo home run to center field, trimming the lead to 5-2. Virginia Tech threatened further in the inning after Owen Petrich reached and Treyson Hughes moved into scoring position following an error, but a strikeout and a caught stealing ended the rally.
The game swung decisively in the seventh.
Mississippi State loaded the bases against Aiden Robertson and Peyton Smith before James Nunnallee was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Bryce Chance followed with an RBI single, and Teel delivered a two-run single through the right side. An Ace Reese sacrifice fly capped the five-run inning, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 10-2.
Mississippi State added three more in the eighth on Jacob Parker’s 415-foot, three-run home run to right-center, stretching the advantage to 13-2.
Virginia Tech was able to answer to aviod the run-rule decision. In the bottom half of the eighth, Nick Locurto advanced on a wild pitch before Aimon Chandler crushed a two-run homer to left-center to make it 13-5.
The Bulldogs answered again in the ninth, taking advantage of walks and another hit-by-pitch to plate two more runs and push the lead to 15-5.
The Hokies mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth, launching three consecutive solo home runs. Anderson French homered to open the inning, Hudson Lutterman followed with a blast of his own and Sam Gates added another to trim the deficit to 15-8. The comeback attempt stalled there, however, as Mississippi State recorded the final three outs to secure the win.
Virginia Tech finished with 11 hits and hit seven home runs in the contest, but the difference proved to be traffic. The Hokies issued 10 walks and hit four batters, allowing Mississippi State to consistently put runners on base. The Bulldogs stranded 12 but capitalized often enough to keep control.
Ball, Chandler, French, Lutterman and Gates each homered for the Hokies, while Mississippi State countered with long balls from Reese and Parker.
Despite the late power surge, Virginia Tech could not overcome Mississippi State’s sustained offensive pressure and struggled to contain innings once they began to unravel.
The Hokies will look to regroup as they finish tournament play tomorrow against Tennessee.
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