As Scarcity Worsens, Mississippi River Users Seek Protective Compact
Looking ahead toward the future for one of the country’s most iconic rivers, officials have taken steps to better protect their local source water as climate change seems poised to present increasing challenges.
“At the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative’s (MRCTI) annual meeting … about 30 mayors unanimously voted in favor of pursuing a compact that would span more than 2,300 miles of river,” the MinnPost reported. “MRCTI’s executive director, Colin Wellenkamp, said a compact among the core states bordering the river would be a way to think about river management at watershed-scale, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, and coordinate during events affecting the whole river, like drought and flooding.”
Urgency around Mississippi River management seems to be building as a result of ongoing drought, which is impacting water systems across the country. Similarly, water managers have raised red flags around dwindling levels for major source bodies like the Potomac River and Colorado River in recent weeks.
As water scarcity plagues the Southwestern U.S. in particular, the compact was likely motivated by fears that attempts to divert Mississippi River water to that dry region could soon impact the communities currently relying on it.
“The talk of diverting water to the Southwest will hopefully ‘light a fire under some states’ to approve a Mississippi River compact, said Olivia Dorothy, director of river restoration with the conservation group American Rivers,” according to the Associated Press. “Diverting water can harm the river’s ecology, depriving species of the water they rely on. It could also slow the movement of sediment that’s vital to the health of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, among many other problems, she said.”
Following the mayors’ unanimous vote, a potential compact will now have to get buy-in from the 10 main river states, which is sure to be a lengthy process. But as it becomes more clear to all of us just how valuable source water has become, the growing importance of protecting Mississippi River water could very well propel an agreement over the finish line.
“One way or another, water will find its way to a user, and there won’t be enough for everyone,” Mark Davis, a water resources policy expert with Tulane University, told MinnPost. “For the first time in many years, the cities and towns along the Mississippi are starting to understand that they are next to a gem, and if they don’t value it, someone else will.”
To read more about how local officials are managing dwindling water resources, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.