Friday, October 26, 2012

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Water Infrastructure Bill To Be Introduced
Because the U.S. House and Senate continue to recess until November 13, the Tuesday after Election Day and the day after Veterans Day, not much is happening on the Federal legislative side of Mississippi River Basin water issues, with the notable exception of a water infrastructure bill that Senator Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee says he intends to introduce when Congress reconvenes.  Sen. Alexander's "American Waterways Act," will, according to media reports and the Senator's press release, address chronic issues surrounding the financial viability of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (that funds river system infrastructure projects) and the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The bill is still being drafted but reportedly will seek to:
  • Remove the requirement that the Army Corps of Engineers' Olmsted Lock project (on the Ohio River) be funded using Inland Waterways Trust Fund revenues.  Such a shift is intended to "free up revenue to address needed lock and dam repairs across the country," according to the Senator's press release;
  • Provide full federal funding for maintenance of harbors up to 50 feet deep (currently Federal funding is only available at full funding to depths of 45 feet; larger post-Panama Canal expansion ships will typically require a 50-foot channel depth);
  • Establish an accounting method for revenues from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund that will allow them to offset annual Harbor Maintenance spending;
  • Speed construction permit approval and provide states with the ability to appeal "slow moving regulatory decision making by adopting a Federal Highway Administration-like "MAP-21" type approach to project management;
  • Authorize a five-year construction program to advance projects that deepen ports to accommodate post-Panama Canal expansion ships (i.e. providing harbors and channels with a needed 50-foot depth);
  • Require the Federal government to follow the Inland Waterways Capital Development Plan developed by the Inland Waterways User's Board that (among other things) shifts responsibility for water project construction and maintenance costs among parties and provides for a minimal increase in a fuel tax that funds the Inland Waterways Trust Fund; and
  • Open the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for use on currently-ineligible port projects, such as "landside" projects.
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -
  • Minnesota hog producer to pay a $14,000 penalty for pumping manure into field that drained to nearby creek http://bit.ly/TXNqLn
  • Study: Pollution from agricultural production degrades coastal salt marshes more quickly than previously thought http://bit.ly/TXJk6c
  • EPA October Nonpoint Source News-Notes Special Issue: Controlling Nutrients through Non-Regulatory State Efforts http://1.usa.gov/TzeoOS
Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -
  • Upper Mississippi River Restoration - Environmental Management Program (Army Corps) launches new Web site http://1.usa.gov/XsKCec
  • Nebraska project to increase water flows to Republican and Platte Rivers subject to water agreements with other states http://bit.ly/TXO8sj
  • Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to introduce American Waterways Act to "modernize" American waterways, ports http://bit.ly/TXHWQW
  • Keeping the Federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill afloat without the banned earmarks http://bit.ly/RWjLCi
Drought-
Click to Enlarge
  • This past week the U.S. drought eased very slightly, but not in worst-hit areas http://bit.ly/rak0SU
  • U.S. drought shows little sign of easing; farmers close out corn and soybean harvests; turn attention to winter wheat http://bit.ly/XsSoVz
  • Worsening dryness in the U.S. is a threat to hard red winter wheat http://bloom.bg/Xm4vne
  • U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: world better prepared to ride out tight grain supplies and extreme weather http://dmreg.co/TaH2UH
  • U.S. drought demonstrates global need to improve water management to prevent crop disasters http://buswk.co/XsFMOe
Farm Bill-
  • Majority Leader Eric Cantor: House will vote on Farm Bill during post-election lame duck session http://bit.ly/VqJ6FE
  • USDA Secretary: Farm Bill link between federal crop insurance and conservation compliance ‘isn’t going to happen’ http://dmreg.co/XTmT65
  • Conservation land protections await farm bill approval http://bit.ly/Slv7ki
Agriculture -
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • Iconic species has found a home at the new eagle aviary in Dubuque, Iowa's National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium http://bit.ly/XsMkfD
  • IL organizations collaborating to stop 2-way invasive species transfer between Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins http://bit.ly/RWjn6T
  • 200 scientists warn Administration of invasive species risk as EPA weighs new biofuels feedstocks http://bit.ly/Tzf9aF
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • State of Louisiana requests jury trial against BP over $1B in economic losses from Deepwater Horizon disaster http://bloom.bg/XsJbwm
Resource Extraction -
  • Environmental groups protest an Ohio watershed conservancy district's short-term water sales to oil and gas industry http://bit.ly/QBBb8G
  • Frac sand mining company and 2 mine owners take Houston County, Minnesota to court to clear way for mining; processing http://bit.ly/T2YZA2
  • Environmental groups sue in attempt to block permitting at two Kentucky and West Virginia mountaintop surface mines http://bit.ly/T2Zeel
Federal Budget -
  • List of what Federal programs might fall under the budget axe if congressional leaders strike a "fiscal cliff" deal http://bit.ly/TaGQo8
  • Senators' efforts to come up with a plan to avoid a Federal "fiscal cliff" pick up speed http://bit.ly/RPZezA
  • Washington Post - National Association of Manufacturers' dire U.S. budget report: "Fiscal Shock: America's Economic Crisis" http://wapo.st/XsUpRz
Events-
  • Possibilities for Addressing Our Nation’s Water Infrastructure Backlog; Horinko Group Lecture; Dec. 5, Washington, DC bit.ly/XsxtSw
  • Mississippi River Network holds annual meeting http://bit.ly/WFEalk
e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -
Other news-
  • Rural economy: 15% of Iowa children lived in poverty in 2010, rising at faster rate than in rest of US over a decade http://dmreg.co/TaGjTd
  • Great Rivers Partnership announces 10 "proof-of-concept" projects re: system-scale outcomes in Mississippi River Basin http://bit.ly/XsEouR
  • National Research Council releases report on Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the U.S. http://bit.ly/TaJbeG
  • Mining company tells EPA railroad should help clean lead contamination along hundreds of miles of Missouri rail lines http://bit.ly/TeeRzC
Political Scene -
Last Word
"You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing." - former U.S. Senator from South Dakota, George McGovern, who died on Sunday, October 21.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

National Research Council: Army Corps Faces "Unsustainable Situation"
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers faces an "unsustainable situation" in maintaining its national water projects at acceptable levels of performance, according to a new report released this week by the National Academies' National Research Council (NRC). A pre-publication copy of the NRC Committee report, "Corps of Engineers Water Resources Infrastructure: Deterioration, Investment, or Divestment?" has been made available by the authoring NRC "Committee on the United States Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Science, Engineering, and Planning" through the NRC report web site. For more information, you can read this recent blog update.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Drought-
Click to Enlarge
  • The week's storm system spread significant rain amounts from Oklahoma to Upper Great Lakes, moderating drought a bit http://bit.ly/rak0SU
  • Six week animation of extent of drought in the U.S. (September 11 - October 16) bit.ly/RMHIzf
  • Drought that ravaged the United States this year does not appear to be abating and may spread through the winter http://trib.in/RMGnZk
  • Rivers and rainfall approaching record low levels; MN officials want homeowners to eliminate nonessential water use http://bit.ly/T2YG8e 
  • Effects of scorching weather this summer in the Midwest now hitting restaurants http://lat.ms/RtLUkk 
  • EPA to decide by early next month whether to reduce the amount of corn-based ethanol in gasoline because of drought http://bit.ly/RtMiiD 
  • Welcome Midwestern U.S. rains are forecast, but so are severe storms http://bit.ly/RtPYRs
Water Quality -
  • EPA launches new website for information on U.S. lakes, rivers and streams via smart phone, tablet or computer http://1.usa.gov/RX7qON
  • USGS and IL EPA "multi-parameter, water-quality super station" recently implemented on Illinois River at Florence on.doi.gov/S5z6TI
  • EPA's monthly "Success Spotlight" stream is Turkey Creek, Oklahoma for sediment and nutrient control http://1.usa.gov/XiTTVf
  • Extreme weather turns out to be a "mixed bag" for aquatic "dead zones" http://bit.ly/SY5vrK
  • New York Times Q and A with marine ecologist Nancy Rabalais: Tracking a Worrisome Dead Zone http://nyti.ms/RAQ6SA
  • Abandoned underground salt cavern blamed for sinkhole; aquifer contamination in sparsely populated Louisiana swampland http://bit.ly/RtPHhF
  • Illinois Attorney General's office files air; water pollution complaint against owner of Douglas County mine http://bit.ly/RtQf78
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Deputy Commissioner commentary: Important (water quality) change isn't spontaneous http://bit.ly/RWYTvi
Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -
  • NRC reports on status of operations, maintenance and rehabilitation of Army Corps water resources infrastructure http://bit.ly/Xn6Ux2
  • "Pros and cons about improvements to (Mississippi River system) locks and dams" http://bit.ly/OtCGXY
  • Public able now to weigh in on issues related to re-licensing of two WV Ohio River basin hydroelectric projects http://bit.ly/RtO8A2
  • Army Corps releases findings regarding remaining "vulnerabilities" in Missouri River Basin following 2011 flood http://1.usa.gov/V1lI71
  • Missouri River levels are showing extreme variation: jumping up higher and dropping down lower than ever before http://bit.ly/R2N0pM
  • Army Corps: more Missouri River system repairs, research, monitoring needed to mitigate future high flow damage http://bit.ly/XiZBX9
Farm Bill-
  • Op-ed CEO of Ducks Unlimited: Farm bill delay endangers wildlife http://politi.co/RWRign
  • Des Moines Register editorial: Farm subsidies a tougher sell now http://dmreg.co/RIL9Hq
  • Vice-chair of House Agriculture Committee confident 2012 farm bill will be approved before end of 2012 http://bit.ly/RtKM0b
  • Democrats try to use angst over farm bill passage failure to gain Midwestern seats in November 6 election http://reut.rs/RtLbQ4
Agriculture -
  • BioRisk journal: surplus lands' productive capacity and potential use for biofuels may be greatly overestimated http://bit.ly/RMH6d9
  • Missouri farmers work with state and National Park Service staff to restore old fields on NPS land on.mo.gov/RWUPLA
  • According to a new analysis, genetically-modified crops have led to a significant increase in herbicide usage http://bit.ly/RtPgDT
  • 'Vertical farming' advocates say growing crops in urban high-rises will eventually be both greener and cheaper http://on.wsj.com/SY4wrw
In the States -
  • Minnesota DNR making $225,000 available for grant proposals to restore native aquatic habitat; November 9 deadline http://bit.ly/RWWCQW
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • BBC: Scientists say billions required to meet globally agreed conservation targets by 2020 http://alturl.com/ib3fi
  • A very nice video overview of aquatic invasive species, especially for introducing the subject to the uninitiated http://bit.ly/RtVt2G
  • Grafton, Illinois Asian carp processing plant still on track to start construction within a month http://bit.ly/V1sQAi
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • Negative impact of nutrients on coastal ecosystems: environment begins 'falling apart' in less than 7 years http://bit.ly/ViIc3E
  • Gulf Coast U.S. senators want Obama Administration to ensure that BP spill deal is fair http://bit.ly/RtJl1H
  • Gulf coastal restoration task force: Mississippi River "land building" diversion "is working better than expected" http://bit.ly/RWVLzB
  • Controversial sediment and freshwater diversion near Mississippi River mouth to remain open for at least ten more years http://bit.ly/RtJToh
Resource Extraction -
Federal Budget -
  • Four environmental groups argue case for avoiding sequestration cuts in new report http://bit.ly/RX2PfG (PDF file)
Events-
  • National Park Service "State of the River” Mississippi River Forum, October 26, Minneapolis, MN http://bit.ly/RMy1Rw
  • Big River Lives Leadership Forum; December 6, Hilton St. Louis, MO information: http://bit.ly/RKadha registration: http://bit.ly/RKadhc
  • Society for Ecological Restoration 5th World Conference on Ecological Restoration; October 6-11, 2013, Madison, WI http://bit.ly/RKaNeJ
  • Excellent Horinko Group annual summit yesterday on "Next Generation of Environmental Compliance and Enforcement" bit.ly/RWNVWH
  • Louisville, KY proclaims and holds official day of celebration for the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act http://cjky.it/SY5ofG
  • Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM) will meet Wednesday, Oct. 24 http://bit.ly/Py0JX3
  • ASFPM's 2013 Annual National Conference presentation proposal submittals are due October 31 http://bit.ly/RWYbhB (floodplain management)
  • Forum takes aim at threats facing the Mississippi River http://bit.ly/RMAATw
e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -
Other news-
  • Major dust storm closes down Interstate 35 in North-central Oklahoma http://bit.ly/RMEV9l
  • Louisville, Kentucky begins efforts to adapt to harsher climate, including flooding, intense storms, sewer overflows http://cjky.it/RtNvXm
  • Teacher guide wins award: Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River http://bit.ly/RtSEyK
  • UN warns of looming worldwide food crisis in 2013 due to low reserves, unstable climate and rising prices http://bit.ly/RtUoIh
Political Scene -
  • In Louisiana, Rep. Landry vs. Rep. Boustany (member-vs.-member) U.S. House race is heating up http://bit.ly/XiST3v
  • New Democratic Sen. McCaskill internal poll shows her U.S. Senate (Missouri) race lead expanding over GOP Rep. Akin http://bit.ly/Xn5lPB
  • An internal Bob Kerrey (D)  poll has State Sen. Deb Fischer (R) leading the former U.S. senator by five points in the Nebraska Senate race
  • Sen. Inhofe (R-OK): upcoming EPA Regulations postponed until 2013 "spell doom for jobs" and economy http://1.usa.gov/XtiLcT
Last Word
Politics is the fine art of deciding what's next best when best is not available.” – Joan Chittister, OSB

National Research Council: Army Corps Faces "Unsustainable Situation"

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers faces an "unsustainable situation" in maintaining its national water projects at acceptable levels of performance, according to a new report released this week by the National Academies' National Research Council (NRC).  A pre-publication copy of the NRC Committee report, "Corps of Engineers Water Resources Infrastructure: Deterioration, Investment, or Divestment?" has been made available by the authoring NRC "Committee on the United States Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Science, Engineering, and Planning" on the NRC Committee web site.

Source: National Academies
An ill-defined distribution of responsibility among Congress, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Army Corps regarding national-level prioritization of investments in maintenance and rehabilitation for existing water infrastructure lies at the core of the ultimate unsustainability of the nation's water resource project infrastructure.  And the report authors call for moving away from that governance model toward a more systematic approach toward water infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation.  That shift will require, they say, that those institutions (the Army Corps, Congress and the White House) break with some of their historically-entrenched management traditions and practices.  The report stresses that partnerships with states, communities and the private sector have the potential to yield new resources and more efficient methods, especially in the areas of hydropower generation, flood risk management, and port and harbor maintenance, and calls for an independent investigation of the opportunities for such additional partnerships.

Among the report's other "key findings" are:
  • Dwindling federal resources have limited funds available for water infrastructure operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation, and there is a considerable backlog of deferred maintenance
  • The Army Corps faces challenges in its operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation duties given that its roles, partnerships, and successes in one mission area are not transferred easily to other areas or activities
  • Higher congressional and administration priority on operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation issues will require some reorientation away from the present strong focus on the Water Resources Development Act
  • Future operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation investments should be guided by principles based on economics of infrastructure investment
  • More specific direction from Congress regarding priority maintenance investment needs will be crucial to sustaining the Army Corps' high priority and most valuable projects
  • The executive branch should play a more aggressive role in promoting dialogue between the Corps and the Congress
The report was sponsored by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Members of NRC's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Science, Engineering, and Planning Committee are listed here.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

USDA Launches National Soil Health Initiative at Central Ohio Farm
On October 11, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the launch of a new soil health awareness and education effort called “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” The new USDA initiative is "meant to highlight the benefits of improving and maintaining America’s soil," according to the news release announcing the project. The related NRCS "soil health" web page describes the main intent of the soil initiative, which is education-based, and designed to focus "more attention on soil health," and educate USDA "customers and the public about the positive impact healthy soils can have on productivity and conservation."  Commodity and conservation organizations have come out in support of the healthy soil initiative.  For links to associated USDA and news outlet web pages, see under "Agriculture," below, and this earlier blog post.

USDA Provides Partner Updates on Two Key Mississippi River Basin Initiatives
On October 9, staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service ("NRCS") provided updates to more than two dozen partners on two key programs impacting agricultural sustainability and water resources in the Mississippi River Basin: one on increasing the successful adoption of agricultural drainage water management for conservation benefits;  and a second on the status of NRCS’s Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative or "MRBI."  Speakers presented recent information regarding both NRCS projects.  For the drainage initiative portion of the meeting, program outreach and the significant increase in the number of on-the-ground projects in the planning and implementation phases were stressed.  The MRBI update included an overview of past project milestones, and emphasized an increased focus on measuring and tracking project outcomes and successes going into the future.  For additional meeting details and materials, and background information on both initiatives see here.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Drought-
October 9 Drought Monitor Map
(click to enlarge)
  • Drought conditions expanded last week across central WI, southeast MN and SD; drought eased in IN, IL, ND and northwest MN   http://bit.ly/qBRrqC
  • Analysis from Rabobank: World on track for record food prices 'within a year' due to US drought http://bit.ly/OabRI7
  • Farm insurance claims come in on heels of severe drought, but much less than $40 billion expected earlier in summer http://bit.ly/UH6xzE
  • US milk production headed for biggest contraction in 12 years; drought-fueled feed cost spike sends cows to slaughter http://bloom.bg/UH7NCT
  • U.S. on track to harvest smallest soybean crop in nine years due to summer’s drought damage in the Midwest http://on.wsj.com/VTLqcT
  • Fears over basic foods' supply follow one of the worst U.S. droughts in half a century; corn prices spike http://on.ft.com/QhcePH
Farm Bill-
  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board: Both Senate and House Farm Bills cut too much from conservation http://bit.ly/QhcBtv
  • Election outcome may indicate what farm bill option Congress will pursue during the lame-duck session http://bit.ly/PTR87m
  • House Majority Leader Cantor (R-VA):  proposed House farm bill version will have to be changed before it passes House http://bit.ly/UH5Ypx
  • Farm-focused conservation programs feel immediate effects of 2008 Farm Bill expiration and new continuing resolution http://bit.ly/T9jifU
Agriculture -
  • USDA launches new NRCS soil health awareness and education effort http://1.usa.gov/Q2wHoS and http://1.usa.gov/Q2wJxa
  • Coalition of 21 commodity, farm and conservation groups support USDA's new nationwide Soil Health Initiative http://bit.ly/Qh7WYp
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's Mississippi River Basin Initiative update bit.ly/UHdrF4 (PowerPoint presentation PDF)
  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's presentation: Increasing Successful Ag Drainage Water Management Adoption bit.ly/UHgugt
  • Carbon capture moves forward by degrees in Illinois farm country http://bit.ly/Oa7JI5
  • Agricultural Research Service and U.S. Forest Service working on making elephant grass feedstock for cellulosic ethanol http://bit.ly/SBScRQ
Water Quality -
  • GAO makes recommendations to improve effectiveness of EPA’s wastewater effluent guidelines program http://1.usa.gov/T9ixmQ (PDF file)
  • Jim Oberstar, a contributing founder of the Clean Water Act, comments on the Act’s 40th anniversary (story and video) http://bit.ly/RwAegR
  • Owner of four coal-fired Illinois power plants faces legal complaints about waste pond chemicals, heavy metals http://trib.in/Oa7mNu
  • Environmental groups file legal action to force clean up of groundwater they say was polluted by leaking coal ash ponds http://bit.ly/Oa7Xij
  • Scientists: no quick or easy solutions to clear blue-green algae from Grand Lake, St. Marys, Ohio http://bit.ly/Oa8xwF  (Ohio River Basin)
  • EPA publishes four papers highlighting purported sustainability of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment http://1.usa.gov/Oa9TYh
  • Groups sue EPA for removal of Chesapeake Bay watershed plan's water pollution trading provisions http://huff.to/PTGUUL (national implications)
  • EPA and Farm Bureau face off in a Chesapeake Bay water quality court case that will impact entire country http://bit.ly/QhdRwG
  • Mississippi River oil spill cost liability being argued in court four years after the event http://bit.ly/PTSuiB
  • High-profile Kentucky enforcement action involving hundreds of alleged clean water act violations coming to a close http://cjky.it/PTTPWw
  • Citizens Reach Landmark Settlement in Kentucky Water Pollution Case http://ow.ly/elrQu
  • Kansas City breaks ground for three new wastewater treatment facilities as part of plan to upgrade city’s sewer system http://bit.ly/PTUGGQ
  • IN Dept of Environmental Management offers to settle 2010, 107,650 fish kill complaint vs. pork producer for $1000 tspne.ws/RwxkZz
Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -
  • Great Falls photographer chronicles low Missouri River water http://bit.ly/Oa3TyA
  • Ceres report: "Stormy Future for U.S. Property/Casualty Insurers: Growing Costs and Risks of Extreme Weather Events" http://bit.ly/OaausI
  • UNL Extension update on how crops are faring in fields affected by last year's Missouri River flooding http://youtu.be/3efW3nhoJOY (video)
  • What "best-educated amateur planners" learned in hindsight from a series of U.S. tropical storms and hurricanes http://bit.ly/TBVsi4
In the States -
  • Public comments opposing fracking called "stupid;" dismissed as jokes by TN Dept. of Environment and Conservation staff http://bit.ly/RwwNH7
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • Army Corps of Engineers releases Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study 90-Day Interim Report http://1.usa.gov/v8c9mA
  • Editorial: congressional Asian carp inaction threatens Mississippi River and well-being of Minnesota lakes and rivers http://bit.ly/QaC1ZK
  • Wisconsin considers removing 16 species from and adding eight endangered and threatened species to its state list http://bit.ly/PTOXkv
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • 8 freshwater mussel species in Alabama and Florida rivers flowing into Gulf added to Federal endangered species list http://bit.ly/UH9Yqb
Resource Extraction -
  • Race to drill for oil breaking up North Dakota's grasslands and wetlands, with severe consequences for state's wildlife http://bit.ly/PTUeby
Federal Budget -
  • Federal "fiscal cliff's" complicated and wide-ranging potential impact make it more like a "fiscal hill" or "slope" http://nyti.ms/UH7esR
  • "Gang of Eight"-four senators from each party-labors to reach agreement on nearly $4-trillion deficit reduction plan http://lat.ms/VTK9m5
Events-
  • Army Corps to hold Missouri River Fall Public Meetings for Draft Annual Operating Plan http://1.usa.gov/UImHsJ
  • Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds: Measuring Results; Oct 31-Nov 1, Ankeny, IA http://bit.ly/UHj4mG Upper Mississippi River Basin Project
Other news-
  • NPR Talk of the Nation: Planning For A Sustainable Mississippi River http://n.pr/Oa5AvQ
  • New Orleans power utility develops one of more aggressive climate risk plans in US - based on wetland conservation http://buswk.co/Oa6YPg
  • NOAA: first nine months of 2012 were the warmest on record for contiguous US and many Mississippi River Basin cities http://1.usa.gov/Rwz8lt
  • Six of eight National Climatic Data Center model scenarios have 2012 ending as the warmest in U.S. since 1895 http://nbcnews.to/T9k5gF
  • Two-month, 1000-mile swim down Missouri River completed by British adventurer http://bit.ly/UIoq0Z
  • Revisiting the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, through film and jazz bit.ly/URy9wF
Political Scene -
Last Word
"If we take home one . . . lesson from the . . . experience of the past two decades, may it be that the Army Corps’ success in fast-tracking massive structural engineering projects during 2006–2012 . . . be replicated for nonstructural coastal restoration during the 2010s and 2020s."  - Geographer Richard Campanella, Senior Professor of Practice at Tulane University and author of several books, including Bienville's Dilemma: A Historical Geography of New Orleans, Delta Urbanism: New Orleans and Lincoln in New Orleans (in this essay)

USDA Launches National Soil Health Initiative at Central Ohio Farm

On October 11, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the launch of a new soil health awareness and education effort called “Unlock the Secrets in the Soil.” The new USDA initiative is "meant to highlight the benefits of improving and maintaining America’s soil," according to the news release announcing the project. The related NRCS "soil health" web page describes the main intent of the soil initiative, which is education-based, and designed to focus "more attention on soil health," and educate USDA "customers and the public about the positive impact healthy soils can have on productivity and conservation."

NRCS Chief Dave White rolled out the effort during a visit to a family-owned farm managed by David Brandt near Carroll, Ohio. "This initiative will help our farmers meet current and future demands for American-grown agriculture by encouraging good soil and natural resources practices that are beneficial to their operations," White said while speaking at the kick-off event.

A group of 21 commodity, farm and conservation organizations sent a letter to White following the project announcement, providing their support for the initiative. The letter noted that although "the benefits of voluntary soil health practices may be difficult to quantify, we stand ready to work with NRCS to help identify the costs and benefits of the various practices in order to assist producers when making decisions about whether to adopt them as conservation practices."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

USDA Provides Partner Updates on Two Key Mississippi River Basin Initiatives

2012 MRBI Watershed
Focus Areas (click to enlarge)
On October 9, staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service ("NRCS") provided updates to more than two dozen partners on two key programs impacting agricultural sustainability and water quality in the Mississippi River Basin: one on increasing the successful adoption of agricultural drainage water management for conservation benefits; and a second on the status of the agency's Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative or "MRBI" (here are NRCS's drainage water management project web site and MRBI web site). Speakers presented recent information regarding both NRCS projects, stressing (for the drainage initiative) program outreach and the significant increase in the number of on-the-ground projects in the planning and implementation phases and (for the MRBI) past project milestones, and an increased focus on measuring and tracking project outcomes and successes going into the future.

To view a PDF file of the drainage water management adoption PowerPoint presentation click here.  And for a PDF file of the full MRBI update PowerPoint presentation click here.  An outline of each update meeting, including speakers and topics, is available on the respective drainage water management agenda and MRBI agenda.

Background
Drainage Water Management
A June 2010 NRCS Conservation Effects Assessment Project (or "CEAP") Report, entitled “Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Upper Mississippi River Basin,” documented progress made in reducing sediment, nutrient and pesticide losses from farmland through the implementation of a variety of conservation practices, while also stressing that additional conservation treatment (primarily a more complete and consistent use of nutrient management) is needed to achieve additional, measurable environmental outcomes. Important in achieving nutrient management is the greater management of water flow from agricultural tile drainage, where concentrations of nitrogen (primarily as nitrate) are often greater than in surface field runoff. In large part due to those CEAP report findings, NRCS launched the drainage water management project to foster greater voluntary adoption of the management of agricultural drainage water practices by producers, especially in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, while decreasing the loading of nitrogen to streams.

Previous drainage water project updates and discussions focused on the results of a suite of pilot projects across five Midwestern states (Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio). The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition-sponsored projects were funded under the NRCS Conservation Innovative Grants (CIG) program. NRCS concluded based on the CIG report findings that "very substantial environmental impacts" can be realized (including reductions in nitrate outflow through utilization of drainage water management from 20 to 60%), with "negligible impacts on yield."

MRBI
MRBI is designed to bring together a variety of stakeholders within the Mississippi River Basin to voluntarily implement conservation practices that avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff in watersheds where high nutrient loading is particularly problematic. The conservation measures put into place also frequently improve wildlife habitat, and can often have the benefit of improving agricultural productivity. Through the MRBI, NRCS works with conservation partners and agricultural producers in a 13-state Initiative area to address nutrient loading to the Mississippi River Basin. Monitoring the effectiveness of the targeted efforts is seen as key to measuring the Initiative's success and assessing the need for refinement of the Initiative.  Through Fiscal Year 2012, there have been 123 MRBI partner agreements covering 640 "twelve digit HUC watersheds," and targeting over 577,000 acres; all supported by nearly $222 million in Farm Bill program funding.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

USDA Hosting Partner Update on Mississippi River Basin Healthy Waters Initiative
On October 9, at 9 AM (Eastern Time), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service will host a "Partner Update" on the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Waters Initiative ("MRBI"). The briefing will be in USDA's Whiten Building (Room 107-A), at 12th Street and Jefferson Avenue, SW in Washington, DC, but there will also be an ability to "attend" by the phone and Internet. For more details, including how to RSVP for the meeting and attend remotely, see the USDA invitation at this link.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Drought-  
Click to Enlarge
  • Drought lingers in Upper Midwest, northern half of Great Plains and West - little to no rains fall; dry week forecast http://bit.ly/qBRrqC
  • Drought showing no sign of letting up in several key Midwest farming states, winter crops may be at risk http://t.co/ZagX2cqv
  • Elevated drought-related contaminants add to the challenge growers face as drought deepens and extends http://bit.ly/UC7QKO
  • Farming lifestyle strained as dry conditions continue http://nyti.ms/UHtuxh
Farm Bill-
  • National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Farm Bill Expired-What Does It Mean and What Happens Now? http://bit.ly/QmBQc7
  • Agricultural organizations issue joint statement on the expiration of the 2008 farm bill http://bit.ly/PZ0QaW
  • Crop insurance-conservation issue comes up in  Des Moines Register editorial board meeting with Rep. Boswell (D-IA) http://bit.ly/SEpY5q
  • Democrats seek to blame House Republican leaders for the farm bill’s official expiration on October 1 http://bit.ly/SvU1ji
  • Farm Bill issue continues to come up in political races this election year http://bit.ly/SDkahw
Agriculture -
  • Warm, dry weather means U.S. corn and soybean harvest pace is fastest since USDA began collecting data in 1981 http://bloom.bg/SvUFgD
  • Commentary: "Feeding the world sustainably: Agroecology vs. industrial agriculture" http://huff.to/PZ1h54
  • New study: Herbicide-resistant crops promote 'super weeds' http://bit.ly/PYVxs3
  • US ethanol industry push to expand going slow; many gas-station owners wary about blend containing 15% ethanol http://on.wsj.com/Um0hgw
Water Quality -
  • The eutrophication (ten) commandments (meant to summarize the state of eutrophication science) http://bit.ly/PYZ1uv (PDF file)
  • Louisiana company could be penalized for unpermitted discharges from chemical storage site during/after hurricane http://bit.ly/UC5r2x
  • USEPA approves joint MN MPCA and WI DNR St. Croix River cleanup plan to reverse declining water quality http://bit.ly/UC62Bh
  • EPA to appeal court ruling that it overreached in setting mountaintop removal mining water-quality criteria http://bit.ly/UC6Nu4
  • Kenner, LA seeks permits to build pipeline carrying 17 million gallons of treated sewage/day into wetlands http://bit.ly/SEuqkF
  • ABC News story regarding toxic blue green algae on Lake Petenwell in Wisconsin and in Ohio (video) http://abcn.ws/PQbdwF
  • EPA Office of Science and Technology free Water Quality Standards course; Dec 10-14, Washington DC; info and apply http://bit.ly/UlTweR
Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -
  • National Wildlife Federation calls Mississippi River floodway levee project wasteful and an environmental threat http://bit.ly/OyXE93
  • Citing possible Missouri River dam failure and inundation, environmental group wants nuclear plant to remain closed http://huff.to/OyY1QZ
  • Wetland issues among many that have blocked the permitting of a proposed Louisiana landfill for over 18 years http://bit.ly/UC6obg
  • Supreme Court hears Arkansas arguments that it is owed compensation from Army Corps for timber damage due to flooding http://bit.ly/PWV8X7
  • Water for fracking is center of conservancy district controversy in southeastern Ohio http://ohne.ws/UC72Wf and http://ohne.ws/UC7GTE
  • St Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial: Senators push for river funding; jobs await action http://bit.ly/UHsc5i
  • Commentary: Flood of money won't improve rivers (by Robert E. Criss; Washington University) http://bit.ly/UHrwNc
In the States -
Forestry -
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • U.S. Army Corps asks for comments on invasive species pathways between Mississippi-Great Lakes basins http://bit.ly/SElaNc
  • Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign to launch fall bird migration tour http://t.co/rrMvYnaj
  • Investment in Iowa: How helping neighbors to the south battle carp will help Minnesota http://bit.ly/T5bwmE
  • Minnesota: St. Peter Community Dedicates Prairie Restoration Project http://bit.ly/QQkYxZ
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • Gulf of Mexico dead zone researcher named one of this year's MacArthur Fellows http://bit.ly/QHHWqO
  • Army Corps approves $2.9 billion Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet restoration plan: demands Louisiana pay 35% of cost http://bit.ly/SEsqZE
Resource Extraction -
Federal Budget -
  • Bloomberg Business News: Sun sets on laws as money keeps flowing with U.S. Congress gone http://bit.ly/OyTPAP (PDF file)
  • White House: agencies should plan fiscal year 2013 spending (starting October 1) as if Congress will undo budget sequester bit.ly/UCeQHp
  • Senate leaders are closing in on a path for dealing with the Federal spending "fiscal cliff" http://nyti.ms/SvUm5B
  • Eight US Senators plan to begin cobbling together a plan to avoid Federal budget fiscal cliff http://politi.co/SEgOWD
  • Democratic and Republican Senate leaders distance themselves from bipartisan group of lawmakers' deficit talks http://bit.ly/PYWHnt
Events-
Mississippi River at Memphis,
Tennessee
  • Mississippi River Collaborative meeting was held this week in Memphis, TN. A terrific group to check out! http://t.co/6YCRV9sD
  • Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds meeting October 31 - November 1, Iowa Soybean Association headquarters Ankeny, IA http://bit.ly/QHIdKe
  • EPA Watershed Academy webinar on new Water Quality Portal for water quality data; Oct 23, 1-3 PM ET http://1.usa.gov/GB3KhT
  • Clean Water Network celebrates Clean Water Act's 40th Anniversary; Oct. 18; Rayburn Bld., Capitol Hill; Washington, DC http://bit.ly/SEkpUl
  • International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society; Madison, WI; Nov.  7-9 http://bit.ly/QeOUR6
  • 2013 Ohio Stormwater Conference call for abstracts http://bit.ly/obUWyg
  • Wisconsin Wetlands Association 2103 conference call for presentations (December 21 deadline) http://bit.ly/OyYqTi
  • Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition 25th anniversary celebration Oct. 27 Charleston, WV http://bit.ly/SEiJKJ
  • 13th Annual St. Louis Earth Day Symposium: Climate Trends: Impacts and Adaptation; call for presentations http://bit.ly/RAXQ5Z
  • National Academies Meeting: Sustainability Linkages in the Federal Government ; Oct 11; 9 AM-1230 PM ET, Washington, DC http://bit.ly/UCenoz
  • North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition seeking abstracts for presentations at StormCon 2013 http://bit.ly/PUAMwJ
e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -
  • October 4 "Delta Dispatches" issue reports on efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta http://bit.ly/UHo70O
  • October 2012 National Great Rivers Research and Education Center E-News Update http://bit.ly/QHGWTz
  • Soil and Water Conservation Society weekly "Conservation NewsBriefs" http://bit.ly/PZ1xkx
Other news-
  • NPR Talk of the Nation: Planning For A Sustainable Mississippi River http://n.pr/Oa5AvQ
  • University of Nebraska study: Signs of global warming are appearing in several Great Plains and Midwest states http://bit.ly/QOi4WY 
  • EPA launches website that allows users to submit Freedom of Information Act requests to multiple agencies http://1.usa.gov/SvT76u
  • Canton, Missouri planning Mississippi River and water-based amenities like levee walk and pond for bird-watching http://bit.ly/PHw59o
  • Illinois River Road website new interactive feature helps travelers plan trips along historic and scenic routes http://sacb.ee/T5bMCb
  • Ecologists Debate Best Way to Restore Land At Ecosummit 2012 http://bit.ly/T1pwxU
  • New paper: Energy/environment one of six "headwinds" that could preempt further consumption and U.S. economic growth http://bit.ly/Q4DF0a
Political Scene -
  • Audubon Society and ConservAmerica partner in bid to diffuse partisanship in Congressional environmental debates http://bit.ly/PmUWha
  • Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE) bid to regain Senate seat looks bleak http://bit.ly/QHGowK
  • U.S. Senate candidates Baldwin and Thompson (Wisconsin) agree over stopping Asian carp spread but on little else http://bit.ly/UC3qUf
Last Word -  "I don’t believe in environmentalism as the solution to anything. What I believe is that environmentalism illuminates the things that need to be done to solve all of the problems together."  - Barry Commoner, biologist and pioneering environmentalist, who died Monday in New York City at age 95.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

USDA Hosting Partner Update on Mississippi River Basin Healthy Waters Initiative

On October 9, at 9 AM (Eastern Time), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service will host a "Partner Update" on the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Waters Initiative ("MRBI"). The briefing will be in USDA's Whiten Building (Room 107-A), at 12th Street and Jefferson Avenue, SW in Washington, DC, but there will also be an ability to "attend" by the phone and internet. For more details, including how to RSVP for the meeting and attend remotely, see the USDA invitation below (click the image to open in a separate window).