When it comes to the current condition of the Mississippi River watershed’s infrastructure and environment, a coalition of environmentalists, academics and business groups give it a D+.

The grade was given by , a “collaboration working with hundreds of business, government, academic and civic organizations to find solutions for the challenges of managing the Mississippi River and the more than 250 rivers that flow into it.” According to the organization, the watershed needs a major overhaul.

The Mississippi River watershed is the fourth largest in the world.

(National Park Service)

Composed with assistance from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers, the “Report Card” is meant to measure the progress made across parts of the country that depend on the Mississippi river and its tributaries and to coordinate action, .

“One of the key things is … to try and develop a shared vision,” Harald “Jordy” Jordahl, director of America’s Watershed Institute, . “There is no single institution that makes decisions for the Mississippi Watershed.”

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The fourth largest in the world, the Mississippi River watershed consists of five river basins flowing across 31 states. , it falls short of serving as the nation’s most valuable water passage.

“The Mississippi River is the backbone of America. Our economy and the future of our country depend on sustaining a healthy, functioning watershed. We measured conditions relative to six goals in five basins, as well as the watershed as a whole,” . “The results reveal a number of challenges - conditions in three of the basins are below expectations, and in the two remaining basins, conditions are just ok.”

Six broads goals for the watershed were measured in the report: ecosystems, flood control and risk reduction, transportation, water supply, economy and recreation. , each field was measured by how well the goal was being met, and the report card can be used to track progress in achieving the objectives. The results will help create a roadmap for collaborative efforts to improve the 31-state watershed and encourage individuals and organizations to engage in issues that affect it.

The summary also brought attention to the lack of progress made in reduction of the in the Gulf of Mexico. Formed every summer by an excess of runoff the Mississippi River delivers into the Gulf, the dead zone is an important indicator on how much progress has been made to reduce nutrient inputs in the water. The Gulf Dead Zone Size Indicator received a D in the Report Card.

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“A ‘D+’ is really nothing to be proud of, but it does give us direction and it does give us a sense of urgency,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who hopes that the report card will .

America’s Watershed Initiative is calling for into the Mississippi River watershed, which would be used for old locks and dams, wetland restoration or failing levees. According to Jordahl, it should come from both government and private sources and he hopes to revisit the grades in the future, and have a course of action for improvements developed by next spring.

Mayor Slay and other members of a caucus organized around garnering attention and funding for this issue would like to see a comprehensive Mississippi River bill addressing infrastructure, the environment and flood control in a holistic manner.

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