Mississippi River Protection
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Mississippi River provides drinking water for over 18 million people. It is an important cultural, recreational, economic, and wildlife resource. Each summer, however, a “Dead Zone” roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts forms in the Gulf of Mexico at the river’s south end. In 2005, ELPC joined the Water Quality Collaborative, a diverse group of regional and national non-profit organizations devoted to improving the health of our nation’s largest river.
Several factors impede the health of the Mississippi River. Inadequate government oversight, lack of coordination among non-profit organizations, and lack of federal protection from agricultural runoff makes restoring the river very difficult. Agricultural runoff is the primary source of excess sediments and nutrients in the Mississippi River. Fertilizers accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico allow plants to grow to excess, starving the waters of oxygen and killing fish and wildlife. Each summer, this creates a “Dead Zone” roughly the size of Massachusetts in the Gulf.
More than 20 regional and national non-profit organizations comprise the Water Quality Collaborative. This provides a special opportunity for member organizations to build off one another’s strengths. Working as a unified group with shared goals will fill knowledge gaps and extend the resources of the various groups beyond traditional boundaries.
Tags: Cleaner Rivers and Lakes
