The river has reached near-historic lows amid extreme drought in much of the basin for the second year in a row, which is slowing down shipping and driving up costs for everyone from barge companies to grain elevators.
Summer drought has caused low water levels on the Mississippi River — especially south of St. Louis
At a meeting this week, about 30 Mississippi River mayors unanimously voted in favor of pursuing a compact that would span more than 2,300 miles of river and allow watershed-scale coordination during events affecting the whole river, like drought and flooding.
Community leaders along the Mississippi River worried that dry southwestern states will someday try to take the river's water may soon take their first step toward blocking such a diversion.
Community leaders along the Mississippi River worried that dry southwestern states will someday try to take the river's water may soon take their first step toward blocking such a diversion.
Augsburg University's River Semester program sends students, sailing, paddling and camping along one of the nation's most famous waterways.
The world’s first, and longest, one crossed the Mississippi at Marquette
With more than 100 people watching, a controlled explosion toppled the remaining iconic green towers and cables of the old I-74 bridge, sending them into Mississippi River Sunday morning.
President Joe Biden on Friday approved a disaster declaration and relief to seven Iowa counties that sustained damages from spring flooding along the Mississippi River.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is requesting a presidential disaster declaration and relief for seven Iowa counties that sustained a combined $6 million in damages from spring Mississippi River flooding.
Experts say the slight decrease is largely due to low water flow on the Mississippi River and fluctuating ocean temperatures, rather than ongoing efforts to reduce harmful runoff.
Floodplain forests play a pivotal role in the Mississippi River ecosystem – creating wildlife habitat, improving water quality, storing carbon and slowing flooding. But they’re disappearing faster as high water from longer-lasting floods soaks the trees more than they can stand. With funding available, the challenge is finding the right solution before things get much worse.
A recent study that found a significant decline in mayfly abundance over the past several years has raised concern about the Mississippi River and its food chain, to which mayflies are essential. Scientists are interested in predicting the timing of mayflies. But they need the public's help in doing so.
As demand for overnight river cruises on the Mississippi increases, the industry also faces increasing climate threats. Recent years have seen wild swings between heavy rainfall and severe drought, making the river tougher to navigate.
Traffic on the Mississippi River is on the rise. But the locks and dams that guide barges on their journey have aged far past their life expectancy, slowing commerce and raising fears of a worse infrastructure breakdown to come. Almost everyone involved can agree that something needs to be done, but with so many varied interests, the question of who should pay – and what exactly to pay for – isn’t as easy to answer.
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