The Rock Island District's roots can be traced to a Congressional Act in 1866 when funds were first appropriated for improving navigation on the Upper Mississippi River. Over the years, the boundaries and responsibilities of the District have changed but its mission of providing vital civil works programs to the Midwest, the Mississippi River Valley and the Nation has remained unchanged.

Extensive work continues at the LaGrange, Peoria, Starved Rock, Marseilles and Dresden Island locks on the Illinois Waterway. Click the links below to learn more.

The newest section of the Volksweg Trail at Lake Red Rock is now complete and open to the public. This extension adds an additional 2.5 miles of trail from the Roberts Creek trailhead west to Cordova County Park. The full length of the Volksweg is now over 17 miles.

Rock Island District and The Nature Conservancy have partnered to establish a Sustainable Rivers Program at Saylorville Lake and Lake Red Rock that will benefit aquatic dependent species while continuing to provide the same level of flood risk management to river communities.

Click the link below for updated information about the operational status of locks and dams in the Rock Island District.