Missouri River Navigators Gather For Annual Meeting

The annual Missouri River Navigators Meeting on February 19 in Jefferson City, Mo., gave those in attendance the opportunity to discuss key issues along the waterway.

Shane Kinne, executive director of the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River (CPMR), said Missouri was “blessed to have two of the nation’s mighty rivers in its backyard,” referencing the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, in his opening remarks.

Col. Andrew Niewohner, commander and district engineer for the Kansas City Engineer District, said that open communications and transparency make the partnership between the Corps and stakeholders work. He added that the projects to repair damage from the 2019 flood are now more than 90 percent complete, should be finished this year and that the Corps would then transition to typical Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding to keep the Missouri River active and working for all partners.

A panel provided an industry update. Jim Sauder, operations manager for Capitol Sand, said that, in addition to the sand and gravel processed from the company’s dredges, some 80 to 100 barges of cement had been brought onto the Missouri and delivered to Capitol Sand’s Jefferson City Terminal by its own towboat.

Kevin Holcer, general manager of AGRIServices of Brunswick (ASB), indicated that low flows last season had affected the business, and that now tariffs are also having an effect.

“A reliable river can offset instability, and a 9-foot minimum draft is needed to remain competitive,” he said.

Capt. Steve Engemann, president of Missouri River Towing (MRT), said MRT now has four line-haul boats in service on the Missouri, with another undergoing a refurbishment that will be 4,000 hp. when it returns to operation. In 2025, these boats moved some 523,000 tons of cargo on the Missouri.

Capt. Michael Carpenter, director of vessel operations for Magnolia Marine Transport (MMT), Vicksburg, Miss., said that his company has been operating on the Missouri River for some 50 years. MMT is currently the only concern utilizing tank barges on that waterway. In recent years, the firm has built barges specifically for the Missouri to help meet needs at various river stages. During the 2025 navigation season, MMT had three towboats working the river.

The panel then took questions from the floor. One question posed by Capt. Dave Dewey, a long-time Missouri River pilot, dealt with the challenge in attracting new employees. Engemann said that MRT works with labor training centers, and Carpenter said that MMT works with “Who Works the Rivers,” as well as attending local job fairs, but that many new hires still come as word-of-mouth referrals from current employees. Sauder indicated that, unlike some of the towing companies, Capitol Sand worked in dredging nearly year-round, but it still faces some of the same challenges in recruiting. Holcer said it was much the same for ASB, but that it seemed that recruitment was better than it had been a few years ago.

Other questions, such as one from Aimee Andres of Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals (IRPT), dealt with properly capturing cargo data on the Missouri to show the true impact of the stream. Both Carpenter and Engemann said many are unaware of the effect that the flow from the Missouri has on the Upper Mississippi below St. Louis, and even the Lower Miss at times.

Jon Sharingson, a professor in Iowa State University’s marketing department, spoke on marketing opportunities for renewables in the marine sector. This dealt with bio and renewable diesel fuels, primarily in ocean use. Annual marine fuel consumption has been consistent since 2019 and accounts for 3 percent of global emissions.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hathaway gave an energetic talk defending Missouri River navigation. She said that she had worked for Missouri Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond at the start of the fight with environmentalists over the pallid sturgeon, a fish listed as endangered, that resulted in many lawsuits against the Corps of Engineers and could have had a detrimental impact on navigation of the river.

“I care about the river,” she said. “It is the most efficient traffic way across the state.”

Concerning efforts by other states to make out-of-basin transfers of water from the Missouri, Hathaway said, “We have to do all we can to defend the water.”

Regional Climatologist Doug Kluck with the National Drought Mitigation Center addressed potential future low-water concerns in a weather and climate outlook. The weather is warmer to the west, and the snowpack is virtually nonexistent in the plains, he said. The mountain snowpack is at 77 percent of normal, and the soil moisture ranges from 0–40 inches. There has been some rain, but not much snow, he said, and 46 percent of the basin remains in drought, which is somewhat improved. The flood potential for 2026 is limited to the lower portion of the Missouri River.

Kevin Stamm with the Corps’ Northwestern Division Missouri River Water Management indicated the region had been in a dry period since 2019. Runoff above the head of navigation at Sioux City, Iowa, is 91 percent of average, and there are currently 49.2-million-acre feet of water in the storage system. The predicted releases at the start of the navigation season will be below full service and should begin about March 18.

Levi Woods of the Missouri Department of Transportation spoke on the economic impact of the ports on the Missouri River, freight enhancement grants and the Missouri Public Ports Economic Impact Study. The ports provide $73.60 in economic output for every one dollar in capital invested, he said. Some 1,750 jobs are attributed to the ports with an economic output of $422 million annually.

Luncheon keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, who represents Missouri’s Third District, noted that the Missouri is “authorized for multiple uses,” and that in his opinion the waterway is not a “footnote to the Mississippi” but is a critical use waterway that is central to the economy of the state.

In a video presentation, Lt. Cmdr. Kia Bacon, chief, Waterways Management Division with Sector Upper Mississippi, and Botswain’s Mate Kraig McClellan, officer in charge of the Coast Guard Cutter Gasconade, mentioned that a new Prevention Homeport Page will be coming soon and that a Ports and Waterways Assessment (PAWSA) meeting will tentatively take place at Jefferson City in June or July. The Gasconade missed several trips and cut others short during the 2025 navigation season due to mechanical issues. A “small boat” trip using a trailered craft is scheduled for March 9–14 March for river miles 450–500, and the Gasconade is scheduled to make a run in April. The cutter is slated to be out of service from June 4–August 25 for dry docking.

Drew Buntin with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources detailed how severe ice and jamming had come close to impacting some electrical generation facilities on the Missouri before temperatures moderated. He said Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas support the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 and mentioned the request for funds for removal of Lock & Dam 1 on the Osage River due to the risk of the abandoned structure failing. He also outlined potential legislation to safeguard against out-of-basin transfers of water from the upper river reaches that would diminish the amounts of water for necessary uses in the lower river reaches.

Clint Mason, Missouri River program manager with the Kansas City Engineer District, spoke on the Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project. This project began after two and a half years of high water damaged structures and formed shoals during the 2019 flood. The project began in 2020 and is expected to conclude this year. More than 150 channel surveys and detailed inspections were performed, resulting in 48 channel hazards being removed. In addition, working on the recommendation of commercial navigators, some sailing lines were adjusted to provide safer, more timely transits of some areas, Mason said.

Jeremy Szynskie, tech support section chief for the Omaha Engineer District, gave a repair and O&M report. Some 315,480 tons of stone was placed through six different contracts in the district from Sioux City to Rulo, Neb. Three active contracts for 2026 include more than 93,000 tons of stone to be placed. Thirty-six structures have been identified as needing attention between Mile 587.5 and Mile 708.2, as well as some obstruction removal and sailing line adjustments.