Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
Where’s the Mud? Understanding sediment sources and storage in the Big Muddy
The movement of sediment plays a huge role in the ecology and hydrology of the Missouri River. With bank stabilization and massive upstream reservoirs blocking sediment flow, the Lower Missouri River carries about 1/5 of the sediment load that it did historically. Dave Heimann will look deeper at where that sediment is in the system, and how that effects other aspects of the river.
The presentation will include a historical perspective of sediment measurements on the Missouri River beginning with those made by Lewis and Clark through the present sediment monitoring conducted by the USGS. A summary of a recent USGS-Army Corps of Engineers study to develop a sediment budget of the lower Missouri River will be discussed along with the use of sediment information in the management and restoration of the Missouri River.
Meet Your Presenter
Dave Heimann
, hydrologist with U.S. Geological Survey
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
"Tributary" - a collaboration of Art and Science
This presentation is part of a two-month long project called "Tributary - An Exploration of the Missouri River, Real and Metaphorical" curated by Minister of Information Don Wilkison and hosted by Charlotte Street Foundation. Find out all the details here.
Resources & Links
Dig deeper for more info on this topic
- Missouri Water Science Center
- ARTICLE - "Not so muddy Big Muddy" - by Mike Szydlowski, Columbia Public Schools Science Coordinator, Columbia Tribune, Oct. 12, 2016.
- ARTICLE - "New option presented to remove Lewis & Clark Lake sediment" - by Nick Hytreck, Sioux City Journal, May 13, 2017
- REPORT - "Missouri River Planning: Recognizing and Incorporating Sediment Management" - 2011, National Academy of Sciences, 165 pp PDF. (see download link on the right and download as guest)
- RESEARCH - "The Response of Suspended Sediment, Turbidity, and Velocity to Historical Alterations of the Missouri River" - by Dale Blevins, USGS
- RESEARCH - "Characteristics of Sediment Data and Annual Suspended-Sediment Loads and Yields for Selected Lower Missouri River Mainstem and Tributary Stations, 1976–2008" - by By David C. Heimann, Patrick P. Rasmussen, Teri L. Cline, Lori M. Pigue, and Holly R. Wagner, USGS
- RESEARCH - "Suspended-Sediment and Suspended-Sand Concentrations and Loads for Selected Streams in the Mississippi River Basin, 1940–2009" by By David C. Heimann, Teri L. Cline, and Lori M. Glaspie, USGS
- RESEARCH - "Trends in Suspended-Sediment Loads and Concentrations in the Mississippi River Basin, 1950–2009" - By David C. Heimann, Lori A. Sprague, and Dale W. Blevins, USGS
- RESEARCH - "Generalized sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River, 1968–2014" by David Heimann, USGS
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City
is hosted by these wonderful partners!
- Little Blue River Watershed Coalition
- Friends of Lakeside Nature Center
- Missouri River Relief
- Healthy Rivers Partnership
- Kansas City Digital Video
Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.
Recordings of Presentations
Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org. Thanks Micheal Morgan and crew for putting this important archive online!
Upcoming Presentations
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event