Kiera Jefferson
The Mississippi River is a vital source of drinking water for around 18 million Americans and is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including over 400 species. With its vast watershed and drainage area spanning 31 states, the Mississippi River faces significant pollution challenges. While pollution from cities and towns has decreased, and certain toxic chemicals have been banned, the river still struggles with sedimentation, nutrient pollution, and the presence of pesticides and herbicides. With pollution threatening the health of the river and the ecosystems it supports, the question arises: Are the current pollution regulations in the Mississippi River sufficient?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Pollution sources | Agricultural runoff, urban runoff, sedimentation, toxic chemicals, excess nutrients, chloride salt, pesticides, herbicides, phosphorus, nitrogen |
| Causes of agricultural runoff | Current agricultural practices leading to nutrient loading and eutrophication |
| Impacts of pollution | Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, impaired waterways, ecological damage, health risks, harm to wildlife, contamination of drinking water |
| Regulatory efforts | Clean Water Act (CWA), Non-point Source Management Program, Mississippi River Collaborative |
| Challenges | Difficulty in regulating non-point source pollution, ineffective leadership, high costs of dredging, lack of protection for wetlands |
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What You'll Learn
- The Mississippi River is the drinking water source for 18 million Americans
- Phosphorus and nitrogen pollution: causes algae blooms and hypoxia
- Agricultural runoff: eutrophication and non-point source pollution
- Sedimentation: fills important habitats and carries pollutants
- Chloride: toxic to aquatic wildlife and permanent pollutant
The Mississippi River is the drinking water source for 18 million Americans
One of the primary issues is non-point source pollution, which is the biggest contributor to waterways failing to meet regulatory standards. This type of pollution arises from agricultural and urban runoff, with pollutants such as fertilizers, oil, grease, and sediment flowing into the river from agricultural, urban, and residential areas. The excessive nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, in the Mississippi River have severe ecological consequences. This includes the annual formation of a biological dead zone, or hypoxia, at the river mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, where oxygen levels in the water are extremely low due to the combination of excess nutrients and seasonal stratification of Gulf waters.
Agricultural practices also contribute to nutrient loading and eutrophication, where farmers tend to over-fertilize their crops to avoid lower yields and poor-quality produce. While the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulates both point source and non-point source pollution, addressing the latter is much more challenging and less effective due to its non-point source nature. Section 319 of the CWA addresses non-point source pollution by requiring greater federal leadership and providing federal grant money to support activities aimed at reducing and cleaning up this type of pollution.
Sedimentation is another significant problem for the Mississippi River. The accumulation of silt and sand particles transported by the river fills in important fish and wildlife habitats, covers spawning grounds, and carries pollutants like PCBs, heavy metals, and phosphorus, which can contribute to algae blooms. While sedimentation has helped bury some pollutants, the filling of the main pools and backwaters of the river with sediment remains a critical issue.
Water quality issues along the Mississippi River have been partially addressed through increased awareness of the negative impacts of pollution, leading to the passage of laws such as the Clean Water Act. Additionally, the number of pollutants has been reduced, and certain toxic chemicals have been banned. However, human activities continue to impact the balance of nutrients and water quality, highlighting the ongoing challenge of ensuring safe drinking water for the millions of Americans who depend on the Mississippi River.
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Phosphorus and nitrogen pollution: causes algae blooms and hypoxia
Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for the growth of algae and aquatic plants. They provide food and habitat for fish, shellfish, and smaller animals that live in water. However, an excess of these nutrients in water bodies can lead to harmful algal blooms (HABs). When there is too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, it causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. This growth leads to harmful algal blooms, or HABs, which can have many negative consequences.
HABs can decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. As the algae decompose, they are broken down by bacteria, which consumes the oxygen dissolved in the water. This, in turn, harms water quality, food resources, and habitats. HABs can also block sunlight, produce toxins, and cause eutrophication. Eutrophication is a natural process that results from the accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water. Algae that feed on nutrients grow into unsightly scum on the water surface, decreasing recreational value and clogging water-intake pipes.
Many human activities produce excess nitrogen and phosphorus, causing nutrient pollution. Agriculture, for example, is a major contributor. Animal manure and chemical fertilizers used to grow crops contain nitrogen and phosphorus. When farms use too much fertilizer or mismanage manure, rain can wash these pollutants into nearby waterways. In addition, runoff from cropland and livestock facilities washes manure, pesticides, and fertilizers into nearby waters, threatening drinking water sources and recreational areas.
Another source of nutrient pollution is wastewater. Sewer and septic systems are responsible for treating large amounts of human waste. However, they do not always effectively remove nitrogen and phosphorus before discharging into waterways. Fossil fuels are also a factor, as nitrogen is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels like oil and coal. The combustion of fossil fuels by power plants, large industries, and automobiles contributes significantly to the nutrient load in the atmosphere.
The Mississippi River Basin, which spans 31 states and drains into the Gulf of Mexico, is particularly affected by nutrient pollution. The Gulf of Mexico experiences hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, believed to be caused primarily by excess nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, delivered from the Mississippi River. This has led to the creation of "dead zones" where aquatic life cannot survive.
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Agricultural runoff: eutrophication and non-point source pollution
Agricultural runoff is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the United States. Runoff occurs when water, from rainfall or snowmelt, collects excess nutrients and sediments as it moves towards bodies of water. This runoff carries nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential for plant growth and are used as fertilisers, into the water system. While eutrophication is a natural process, human activities such as agriculture have accelerated it.
Nitrogen is the most common nutrient leading to eutrophication. It is fixed into the soil from atmospheric stores, organic matter, and fertilisers by lightning and bacteria. It is then converted into ammonium and nitrates, which are used by plants. However, excess nitrogen enters bodies of water through runoff and leaching. Similarly, phosphorus is added to water bodies through agricultural runoff, in the form of manure and pesticides.
The Mississippi River Basin, which includes agricultural land and urban centres, is susceptible to agricultural runoff. This runoff contributes to eutrophication in the river, which leads to the creation of algal blooms. These algal blooms block sunlight from penetrating the water's surface, inhibiting photosynthesis. When the algae die, they sink to the bottom, where bacterial decomposition takes place, consuming oxygen and leading to the death of marine life. This process results in the formation of dead zones, where aquatic life cannot survive due to a lack of oxygen.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) regulates both point source and non-point source pollution. However, regulating non-point source pollution, such as agricultural runoff, is more challenging and less effective. The difficulty in regulating non-point source pollution lies in its diffuse nature, as it comes from various sources and is not discharged from a single outlet. While the CWA sets ambient water quality standards, the implementation and enforcement of these standards for non-point source pollution are complex.
The impact of agricultural runoff on the Mississippi River is evident through the presence of hypoxic zones and eutrophication. Efforts to address this issue include the work of the Mississippi River Collaborative, which aims to reduce pollution entering the river and protect its ecosystem. Additionally, the EPA has established drinking water standards to safeguard public health and mitigate the ecological impact of nutrient pollution.
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Sedimentation: fills important habitats and carries pollutants
Sedimentation is one of the Mississippi River's most serious problems. The filling in of the river and its backwaters with silt and sand particles, carried by the river, has numerous effects. The accumulation of silt in the backwaters fills important habitats for fish and wildlife and covers up spawning grounds.
The silt also transports pollutants like PCBs and heavy metals in the water. Phosphorus, a nutrient that can lead to problems with algae blooms when in excess, can attach to silt particles. The Mississippi River carries roughly 550 million metric tonnes of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico each year. This has extended the coast of Louisiana by 91 metres annually.
Sedimentation has helped bury some of the pollutants that once flowed downstream from the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. These contaminated sediments settled in Lake Pepin and were covered by silt carried by the river. This improved the water quality downstream from Lake Pepin. Sand frequently drops out as a tributary meets the slower waters of the Mississippi River, forming a delta that produces some of the richest wildlife habitats on the river.
However, the Upper Mississippi River is particularly vulnerable to sedimentation because it drains a vast land area, and the lock and dam system has changed the river's natural movement of sediment. The sand that accumulates in the main channel of the Mississippi River contributes to the high cost of dredging required to maintain the 9-foot navigation channel.
Agricultural runoff is a significant contributor to water pollution in the Mississippi River. Excess fertiliser and animal waste become problems when nutrients are carried into the river by runoff or leaching. Runoff occurs when water from rainfall or melting snow picks up excess nutrients and sediment as it moves over and through the ground towards bodies of water. This leads to eutrophication, which results in dead zones as a consequence of high rates of algal growth and death in nutrient-rich areas.
To address these issues, individuals can take several actions, such as applying the proper amount of fertiliser, avoiding fertiliser application when it might be washed away by rain, and disposing of used motor oil and antifreeze at recycling depositories.
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Chloride: toxic to aquatic wildlife and permanent pollutant
While pollution from cities and towns has decreased, and certain toxic chemicals have been banned, water quality issues remain on the Mississippi River. The river is the main source of drinking water for about 18 million Americans in 50 cities across the United States, leaving ample opportunity for contamination.
Chloride is a serious threat to freshwater lakes and streams. It is a permanent pollutant and does not degrade over time. Once in the water, it cannot be feasibly removed. Chloride occurs naturally in lakes and streams, and many organisms need it to carry out basic life functions. However, elevated levels can cause cells to lose water and become deprived of nutrients, ultimately killing fish, amphibians, plants, and other aquatic organisms. On land, excessive amounts of chloride can harm pets, soil, cars, bridges, and more.
The main source of chloride pollution is road salt, which is used to de-ice roads, parking lots, and sidewalks in cold weather. When snow and ice melt, the salt flows into storm drains and then into lakes, streams, wetlands, and groundwater. An estimated 365,000 tons of road salt is applied in the Twin Cities metro area each year. A study by the University of Minnesota found that about 78% of the salt applied in the Twin Cities for winter maintenance is either transported to groundwater or remains in local lakes and wetlands.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has found that fifty Minnesota lakes and streams have chloride levels that are too high to meet the standard designed to protect fish and other aquatic life. An additional 75 water bodies have chloride levels near this standard. The MPCA offers grant funding in selected communities to help reduce chloride pollution. Participating organizations have been able to reduce their salt use by 30% to 70%, and the training has been shown to prevent chloride contamination in bodies of water.
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Frequently asked questions
The Mississippi River Collaborative is a partnership of environmental organizations and legal centers from states bordering the Mississippi River. They work with other regional and national groups to address issues affecting the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
The Mississippi River is affected by various sources of pollution, including agricultural runoff, urban and residential areas, and sedimentation. Excess nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, are major contributors to water quality issues, leading to problems like hypoxia and algae blooms.
The Mississippi River is a major source of drinking water for millions of Americans, so pollution directly affects the safety of this water supply. Additionally, the river is home to numerous species of wildlife, including fish, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Pollution can harm these ecosystems, deplete oxygen levels, and threaten the survival of aquatic life.
Efforts to regulate and reduce pollution in the Mississippi River include the Clean Water Act (CWA) and initiatives by organizations like the Mississippi River Collaborative. The CWA addresses both point source and non-point source pollution, but regulating non-point source pollution remains challenging. Local, state, and federal governments play a role in implementing and enforcing these regulations.
