Mississippi River System

Map of the course, watershed, and major tributaries of the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River System, also referred to as the Western Rivers, is a mostly riverine network of the United States which includes the Mississippi River and connecting waterways.

From the perspective of natural geography and hydrology, the system consists of the Mississippi River itself and its numerous natural tributaries and distributaries. The major tributaries are the Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Red rivers. Given their flow volumes, major Ohio River tributaries like the Allegheny, Tennessee, and Wabash rivers are considered important tributaries to the Mississippi system ^[1]

From the perspective of modern commercial navigation, the system includes the above as well as navigable inland waterways which are connected by artificial means. Important connecting waterways include the Illinois Waterway, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. This system of waterways is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a project depth of between 9 and 12 feet (2.7 – 3.7 m) to accommodate barge transportation, primarily of bulk commodities. ^[2]

The Mississippi River carries 60% of U.S grain shipments, 22% of oil and gas shipments, and 20% of coal.^[3]

References

1. "Mississippi River". USGS Biological Resources. Archived from the original on 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
2. "The Mississippi River System". US Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
3. Alan Greenblatt (2013-01-10). "Mississippi Blues: When The River Doesn't Run". NPR. Retrieved 2015-11-26.

Coordinates: 47°14′23″N 95°12′27″W / 47.23972°N 95.20750°W