News
Launch Information, Career Opportunities, and Website Updates
All public boat launches operated by the Red River Waterway Commission will be re-opened by the close of business today.
The following public boat launches are closed due to high water levels until further notice:
Stoner Avenue, Teague Parkway, Ft. Buhlow, Alexandria Levee Park, Ben Routh
Temporary Closing of All Comfort Stations
UPDATE: ALL RED RIVER WATERWAY COMMISSION COMFORT STATIONS HAVE NOW RE-OPENED. In anticipation of the extreme cold temperatures forecasted for later this week, the Red River Waterway Commission will close comfort stations (restroom facilities) at all of our recreation areas. We will reopen the comfort stations as soon as the temperatures rise above freezing for an extended period of time.
90,000 Bass Fingerlings Released into Red River
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, in cooperation with the Red River Waterway Commission, recently stocked the Red River with a total 90,000 Florida-Strain Largemouth Bass fingerlings and Tiger Bass fingerlings. The 4 to 7-inch fingerlings were distributed among the five pools of the river to improve fishing opportunities. The stocking effort is part of an on-going annual plan...

Red River Waterway Commission
The Red River Waterway Commission (RRWC) works to foster economic growth and recreational development
About Us
The work of the Red River Waterway Commission represents the seven-parish Red River Waterway District that encompasses Caddo, Bossier, Red River, Natchitoches, Grant, Rapides, and Avoyelles Parishes. Commissioners are appointed from each of those parishes, plus four at-large commissioners also serve.
OUR HISTORY
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, settlers flooded the Red River Valley. River transportation at that time was primarily keelboats, flatboats, pirogues, rafts and bateaus. Navigating the river was complicated by log jams, or “raft.” The most famous of these was “The Great Raft” extending from Natchitoches to Shreveport. It wasimpassable even to the Indians.
Recognizing the growth potential for the river, a well-known inventor and engineer, Captain Henry Miller Shreve, offered the U.S. government a plan to clear the river in 1824. With a steam snag boat of his own design, Shreve eliminated the raft at a cost of $300,000, less than 10% of previous estimates. Thus, the Red River became navigable from its mouth north for several hundred miles. But despite the success, efforts to keep the river clear ended with the outbreak of the Civil War.
It wasn’t until the River and Harbors Act of 1968, that the 90th Congress authorized construction of the Red River Waterway project. Since completion of the 5 locks & dams in 1994, it has served as a year-round waterway connecting ports north and south for businesses the world over.
Contact
P.O. Box 776
5941 Hwy 1 Bypass
Natchitoches, LA 71458
Report River Hazards
To report a hazard or any other dangerous situation or issue on the Red River, please contact the United States Coast Guard, the Red River Waterway Commission, and the local Sheriff’s office where the incident has occurred.
USCG Sector Lower Mississippi River (SLMR)
2 Auction Avenue
Memphis, TN 38105
Voice: 901-521-4824
Fax: 901-544-3886
Shreveport River Gage
Coushatta River Gage
Grand Ecore River Gage
Alexandria River Gage
Above Red River Lock 2
Above Red River Lock 1
Red River Waterway Commission
Office: (800) 874-9431
Email: colinbrown@redriverwaterway.com
Hazard Reports
Pool 5 (Shreveport gage)
When river levels reach 21 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramps at Stoner Avenue and Teague Parkway Recreation Areas will close. When river levels reach 26 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramps at North Caddo and Bishop Point Recreation areas will close
Pool 4 (Coushatta gage)
When river levels reach 29 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramp at Coushatta Recreation Area will close. When river levels reach 30.5 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramp at Red Oak Recreation Area will close.
Pools 3 (Grand Ecore gage)
When river levels reach 32 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramps at Grand Ecore, Natchitoches, St. Maurice, Montgomery, Red Bayou & Colfax Recreation Areas will close.
Pools 1 & 2 (Alexandria gage)
When river levels reach 25 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramps at Alexandria Levee Park, Ft. Buhlow & Ben Routh Recreation Areas will close. When river levels reach 28 with a predicted continual rise, the public boat ramps at Boyce, Lock & Dam No.2, Poland & Brouillette will close.