Channel geometry and sediment characteristics of the Missouri River at St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Hermann, Missouri, 1928--2002

A combination of factors is leading to changes in the riverbed elevation and sediment characteristics of the Missouri River at St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Hermann, Missouri. Kansas City has experienced rapid degradation in the riverbed over the past 74 years of record, with a slower decline at St. Joseph and Hermann. Changes in the riverbed are strongly correlated with flood flows.; Scouring from levee-constricted flooding and extensive dredging on the Missouri and Kansas Rivers upstream are the most significant factors contributing to riverbed degradation at Kansas City. Increases in urban development in the Kansas City area have indirectly disturbed the river by causing increased demand for dredging, levees, and other control structures. Dams upstream on the river have contributed to long-term degradation of the riverbed at all three sites. The source of floodwaters is also a factor at Kansas City and St. Joseph, but is less significant at Hermann.