St. Louis District-Water Management USACE

Water Management

The St. Louis District is responsible for maintaining the waterways that flow through a large part of Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois. Located within the District’s boundaries are 300 miles of the Mississippi River, including its four most southerly Lock and Dams and its confluences with the Missouri and Illinois Rivers. Also included are several tributary rivers, dozens of other small streams, and five multi-purpose reservoirs - Lake Shelbyville, Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake, Mark Twain Lake, and Lake Wappapello. These waterways must continually be monitored and regulated to facilitate a number of purposes. The mission of St. Louis District Office of Water Control is to perform these responsibilities.

The Office of Water Managment is a combination of two separate sections within the Hydrologic and Hydraulics Branch:

Water Data Management
Water Control Operations

2013 Gage Crests
(as of 10Jun2013)

2011 Gage Crests
(as of 26May2011)

Website Guide and Project Operation Information: Webguide.pdf

The Water Data arm of this Section oversees the continuous process of hydrologic data collection, analysis, computation, and preparation for the St. Louis District. Through the administration of its Corps Water Management System (CWMS) program, Water Data provides an effective means of data acquisition, storage, visualization, dissemination, and modeling in support of the daily Water Control activities for the District. In addition to being used to assist in daily decision making, the data collected is frequently used internally and externally for navigation studies, flood plain studies, and construction activities. This data is also provided to various Federal, state, and local agencies, private entities, and the general public. It is posted here at this website and frequently updated for your convenience.

Data Collection System (DCS)

As a part of its data collection responsibility, Water Data is in charge of planning and implementing the District’s extensive network of hydrologic gauging stations. These stations consist of a technologically advanced combination of electronic and mechanical recording, reporting, and sampling equipment, providing Real Time readings to the District’s downtown St. Louis headquarters. Water Data maintains and operates approximately 155 of these gages on lakes and streams throughout the District. About 120 of said gages are automated using data-collection platform (DCP) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) technology (See DCS Figure).

Gages throughout the district are owned and operated by the St. Louis District and maintained in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey and the NOAA/National Weather Service.

Water Control Operations

Water Control (WC) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day regulation of the four Mississippi River navigation structures and the five multi-purpose reservoirs located within the District. River flow is regulated to promote a number of interests, including flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power generation, water supply, erosion control, environmental enhancement, and recreation, in addition to others. WC must consider each of these interests with every important decision that is made. These decisions must then be coordinated with the project offices, Federal, state, and local government agencies, private water resources entities, and with customers. During high water events, such as those experienced during the summer of 2008, WC cooperates with MVS Emergency Operations in leading the flood fight efforts. Also, during low water events, WC cooperates with the River Industry Action Committee (RIAC) and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure safe navigable waterways.