For decades, the Mississippi River has been a key passageway for barges and other vessels that move millions of tons of coal and petroleum to help power the nation’s economy. These days, developers are looking to the river itself as a power source.
No fewer than a dozen hydroelectric projects are proposed just along the stretch of river bordering Missouri. Many would be situated at Army Corps of Engineers locks and dams — structures built more than a half century ago to allow commercial navigation of the Upper Mississippi River.
St. Louis Post Dispatch