Mississippi River Basin Blog: Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

This Week and Next
The past seven days found the Army Corps of Engineers in GAO's proverbial doghouse, the smell of dead Asian carp wafting over the streets of Grafton, Illinois, submachine guns ordered at the USDA, and a lot of angry people taking to the streets in an effort to shift the political landscape of climate change. You can dive into the details, below, or skip the gore, and read our pithy, one-paragraph summary here: "What We Learned This Week - 'Do you hear the people sing?'"

Next Week in Congress - Zippo. Congress is not in session and its members are gone until November 12.

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -

Already banned in Illinois, toothpaste brand Crest will no longer put polyethylene microbeads - under growing scrutiny for their potential to contaminate the environment - in its products http://ow.ly/BLC77
USEPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks exudes calm as tensions mount in farm country over a proposed clean water rule http://ow.ly/BMCYX
Draft EPA Science Advisory Board report: proposed rule to clarify Clean Water Act protection is scientifically sound http://ow.ly/BUN78
National Farmers Union submits comments to U.S. EPA on proposed rule addressing Waters of the US http://ow.ly/BLTzG
USEPA will not appeal district court Clean Water Act decision that ruled in favor of large West Virginia CAFO http://ow.ly/BMDDJ
After EPA drops its appeal, Court of Appeals extends deadline to file briefings in West Virginia agricultural water pollution case http://ow.ly/BRdRu
Dairy Business Association op-ed: Don't blame Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) for pollution http://ow.ly/BUWth
Indiana's Wabash River struggles with algae, excess nutrients http://ow.ly/BOyDB as work goes on to improve its water quality ow.ly/BMO8n
Saving the Minnesota River: Activists, advocates seek to reach consensus on issues and solutions http://ow.ly/BOzhR
World stands by as algae and dead zones ruin water; Expensive research and cleanup efforts make little headway http://ow.ly/BVCpu

Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -

Taxpayers for Common Sense: FEMA flood risk reduction measure eligibility changes will lead to unwise flood plain development http://ow.ly/BLz7U
Reps. Quigley (D-IL), King (R-NY) introduce "Urban Flooding Awareness Act" to prompt NRC study on urban flooding http://ow.ly/BRcQO
GAO: Army Corps of Engineers unable to adequately track, give Congress reckoning of, backlogged water resources projects http://ow.ly/BOkDa
Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District awards contract to dredge the Mississippi River for $4.3+ Million http://ow.ly/BOAAU
American Society of Civil Engineers: country has failed to adequately act upon risks exposed by Hurricane Katrina. Abstract-"Flood Risk Management: Call for a National Strategy" http://ow.ly/BMEOy (news article: http://ow.ly/BMEXx)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) files legislation to establish new Prairie Pothole region national wildlife refuge to protect wetlands; bill: http://ow.ly/BLATI and story: http://ow.ly/BLBd5
Waterways Council Op-Ed: Barge industry bears the cost of modernizing waterways. Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1uLrEAt
DOT 12th annual state transportation statistics report: Louisiana top state in 2011 and 2012 in tons of waterborne cargo shipped http://ow.ly/BLRHp New Orleans was 14th most active port (2012) http://ow.ly/BLSeY
New Environmental Law Institute handbook: Improving Outcomes and Increasing Benefits Associated with Wetland and Stream Restoration and Protection Projects http://ow.ly/BUV34

Agriculture -

Groups call on USDA to provide details on how it plans to manage the farm bill's Conservation Reserve Program http://ow.ly/BUnUa
Consumer demands are prompting some of the Midwest's large-scale farms to adjust to more food-conscious markets http://ow.ly/BLLiz
Des Moines Register Online: Cover crops on 95% of land boost profitability as well as environmental benefits http://ow.ly/BLOJX
Threats of lawsuits by groups who want to block Enlist herbicide could delay Dow’s hopes to have farmers planting new GE crops next spring http://ow.ly/BLPzS
2014 may be one of best years ever for ethanol business http://ow.ly/BLQjT but industry still faces uncertainties http://ow.ly/BLQqv
Nearly 3.5 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel produced in U.S. in August, more than all other months of 2014 combined http://ow.ly/BUnlR
Agriculture, conservation organizations announce three-year North American initiative to help growers facing climate impacts http://ow.ly/BRbvA

Climate and Weather -

Drought Study No 6. Grand Lake,
Oklahoma. Photo by Jesse Rieser

Weekly U.S. Drought Monitor: No significant change in drought/ dryness conditions over the Midwest, central, northern Plains http://ow.ly/BVzKa
Global Carbon Project reports that global emissions of greenhouse gases jumped 2.3 percent in 2013 to record levels http://ow.ly/BLtSR
Polls show most Americans believe in climate change, but give it a low priority http://ow.ly/BOoxv
UN Climate Summit achieved quite a bit more than expected http://ow.ly/BUOuO
Photo exhibit depicts how 2012 drought altered the Arkansas River Basin landscape http://ow.ly/BOBfq
Flooding Risk From Climate Change, Country by Country (3.1 million at risk in U.S.) http://ow.ly/BRaD9
Video available from RFF forum on (climate change) Economics and the Environment, with EPA Administrator McCarthy http://ow.ly/BY8ls

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

Kirtland's snake

Grafton, Illinois residents demand action over malodor from American Heartland Fish's Asian carp processing plant http://ow.ly/BOjbr
Center for Biological Diversity settles with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over Endangered Species Act protection for Kirtland’s snake (north-central Midwest) http://ow.ly/BOlut

In the Cities -

Two major sustainability efforts to promote Mississippi River commerce and health announced by Mississippi River mayors http://ow.ly/BUMhB
La Crosse, Wisconsin offers permeable pavement tax credit to reduce volume of stormwater runoff to the City's wastewater system http://ow.ly/BLFy6
American Society of Landscape Architects: Every city should have its own green infrastructure strategy and actionable plan to make it happen http://ow.ly/BLGah
Batavia, IL integrates innovative stormwater management technologies, like permeable pavement and tree cell systems, into street redevelopment http://ow.ly/BLGBi

In the States-

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency requests comments on water quality improvement report for Rice Creek watershed (Ramsey and Anoka counties) http://ow.ly/BMG6c

Click to enlarge

Gulf Coastal Region-

New Orleans makes cities with "the most to lose from rising sea levels" list http://ow.ly/BP06P
National Academy of Sciences will take applications soon for $500 million, 30-year research initiative in response to BP oil disaster http://ow.ly/BLMst
Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy: "Community Resettlement Prospects in Southeast Louisiana" http://ow.ly/BRb2O (large PDF file)

Resource Development -

Pennsylvania drilling regulations come after damages, as the state's trial and error approach leaves Marcellus Shale wounds http://ow.ly/BLLG1

http://ow.ly/BY4L7

ow.ly/BY4xO

Events - Information on all past and future events listed here each week can be viewed in the on-line calendar, located above and to the right (and here as a stand-alone calendar)

September 26 (and every Friday): University of Illinois Weekly Friday Webinar on Farm Bill Decision Aids and Programs, 8:00-9:30 AM CDT http://ow.ly/BYaiX
Free Webinar: Phragmites Management in the US: 40 years of Methods and Outcomes, September 30, 1-2 pm ET http://ow.ly/BRywo
St. Croix River art, poetry, and stories to be featured in “Reading the River,” October 2, 7 PM, ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN http://ow.ly/BOzID
Save the date: Free Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) briefing: Update on Cellulosic Biofuel Production, 2:30-4 pm, October 6, Capitol Hill (details will be listed here: http://ow.ly/BLvwm)
Society for Conservation Biology webinar: Making conservation policy through the law, scientists and legal strategies to protect biodiversity October 9, 2:30 pm ET http://ow.ly/BVKUK
Ohio Wetlands Summit: Wetland Restoration, November 15, 8:30-2:30, Grange Insurance Audubon Center, Columbus, OH http://ow.ly/BLwmq
Wisconsin Wetlands Association's 20th Anniversary Wetland Science Conference: Telling Our Stories, Madison, February 24-26, 2015 http://ow.ly/BLCX1
52nd International  Making Cities Livable Conference on Achieving Green, Healthy Cities, Bristol, United Kingdom, June 29 - July 3, 2015 http://ow.ly/BLHaa

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia -

Lower Mississippi River Dispatch, No 258, Tuesday, Sept 23 http://ow.ly/BOi5z
Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy's TUWaterWays e-newsletter for September 24 http://ow.ly/BS4vA
Horinko Group "Sustainabulletin" e-newsletter: September 2014 http://ow.ly/BURCD (with coverage of UMRBA summit on Upper Mississippi commercial navigation)
Montana Watershed Coordination Council's September 25 Watershed News http://ow.ly/BY3gq with coverage of the proposed state water plan
Gulf Restoration Network's bi-weekly e-newsletter Gulf Waves http://ow.ly/BY6xP
Farm Foundation NFP's first issue of the Soil Renaissance Newsletter (September 2014) http://ow.ly/BY7rP
Green Lands Blue Waters e-newsletter update, highlighting continuous living cover on Mississippi River Basin farmland http://ow.ly/BY805

Other news-

Kansans will use October ("Zombie Preparedness Month") to prepare for zombie apocalypses and other natural disasters http://ow.ly/BUF4v
USDA's Office of Inspector General has filed a request to purchase submachine guns in the interest of staff self-protection http://ow.ly/BLxHF
Global population may grow to exceed previous projections; stabilization unlikely this century http://ow.ly/BOlWq

(click to enlarge)

Politics and People-

Tom Vilsack plans to stay on as USDA head, making him one of the last original Obama administration cabinet members http://ow.ly/BYaVh
Environmental groups are fearful of Republicans winning a U.S. Senate majority in November midterm election http://ow.ly/BLqpw
After dragging on for several weeks, Kansas' U.S. Senate race drama results in head-to-head matchup between Orman and Roberts http://ow.ly/BLs3o
House GOP Members who vote against John Boehner for Speaker may find themselves stripped of all committee assignments http://ow.ly/BLwW7
113th Congress has seen just 165 pieces of legislation enacted - a low number relative to past Congressional sessions http://ow.ly/BOmIS
Early voting started Thursday in Iowa, where absentee ballots made up 43 percent of the total cast in 2012 http://ow.ly/BUCZu