Corps of Engineers to host two open house events onboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, will provide two opportunities for the public to tour the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI at no cost while it’s visiting the region.

Public open houses will take place:

• Saturday, August 12 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at River Heritage Park in downtown Davenport, Iowa
• Sunday, August 13 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Mississippi Riverwalk at the Port of Dubuque, in Dubuque, Iowa

The vessel will be in the region as part of the Mississippi River Commission’s Low Water Inspection trip. The open houses will provide information about the importance of the Mississippi River System and the diversity of uses and users along the waterway.

The towboat, which is 241 feet long, 58 feet wide and has three diesel engines providing 6,300 horsepower, serves as a working towboat 90 percent of the time. The vessel’s primary mission is to move barges in support of bank stabilization work on the lower Mississippi River. Each spring and late summer, the MRC conducts a series of public meetings onboard the vessel.

The MRC flagship can accommodate 152 people to include 117 passengers and 35 crew. The vessel houses 43 staterooms allowing 86 overnight passengers and crew. The boat also has a dining room that seats 90 and a conference room that seats 117 people.

The MRC, established in 1879, uses the MV MISSISSIPPI to host public hearings, a process unique to the MRC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that allow the public a greater voice in shaping federal policy by discussing their concerns with those individuals responsible for improving the condition of the river, fostering navigation, promoting commerce, and reducing flood risk along the watershed.

In addition to the public open house events in Davenport and Dubuque, the MV MISSISSIPPI will also host the Mississippi River Commission’s public hearing August 15 at the city landing in Burlington, Iowa.

For additional information contact the Rock Island District at 309-794-5729 or visit the MV MISSISSIPPI website at: https://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet-Article-View/Article/491916/the-history-of-the-motor-vessel-mississippi/.