The Headwater Diversion Channel is a canal in southeast

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Flowing west to east, it diverts the headwaters of the Castor and

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

rivers and Crooked Creek directly into the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

south of Cape Girardeau. It was built between 1910 and 1916 by the Little River Drainage District. The streams diverted by the Headwater Diversion Channel formerly flowed into the Little River, and their portions that are downstream of the Diversion Channel still do so. The channel is roughly longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 13, 2011 and serves as a

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

structure; it is not considered navigable, although small boats such as

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s can be used on it. The Headwater Diversion Channel played an important part in the drainage of Missouri's Bootheel region, converting it into rich

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

land. The channel's

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with the Mississippi River is located at .

References

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External links

* History of Little River Drainage District, http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/mdh_splash/default.asp?coll=lilrivdd Canals in Missouri Buildings and structures in Bollinger County, Missouri Buildings and structures in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Canals opened in 1916