Water and Flow

The river's annual average flow rate is 494,405 cubic feet per second.

From Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River channel moves downhill gradually. At Lake Itasca, the land is 1,463 feet above sea level. But at the Gulf of Mexico, it is at sea level -- a difference of 1,463 feet.

As the land slopes downhill, the water in the channel moves rather than being still. This slope is barely noticeable when you're standing beside it. But the water's movement and speed hints at how steep the slope is.