Report: $2B annually needed to improve Mississippi River water quality

Frequent flooding, degraded water quality and aging infrastructure will require $2 billion in annual funding for multiple years to remedy, according to a report grading the management of the vast Mississippi River watershed.

“As the United States looks to recover and rebuild our economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, the health and resilience of this critical natural resource – through investments in infrastructure, research, education and flood and water management – must be part of the solution,” America’s Watershed Initiative (AWI) Executive Director Kimberly Lutz said in a statement, noting the Mississippi watershed that spans two-fifths of the continental U.S. and 31 states faces “pressing challenges.”