Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Flood Update; A Situation Ripe for Policy Reconsideration

Latest News
Flood waters continue to take center stage in the middle and lower Mississippi River valley this week in the aftermath of the Army Corps of Engineers May 2, planned levee breach near Birds Point, Missouri, and as the River crest moved downstream past Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, and toward Louisiana.

The Army Corps' Birds Point operation allowed water to flow through the New Madrid Floodway and reduced the risks of flooding in upstream Cairo, Illinois.  Even as waters flowed over the land, farmers were concerned that the flooded Missouri lands would be "stripped of soil," leaving farms unsuitable for agriculture use for years to come, while scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey suggested that the planned nature of the breach and the extensive 11,000-foot-wide opening blown into the levee might have limited the erosional impact of diverted River waters as they flowed over an estimated 130,000 acres of flooded farmland.

In the meantime, the River crest moved south along the River, passing Memphis, Tennessee at a height slightly below that city's levee elevation; as preparations continued downstream, and concern along the Lower Mississippi River rose.  Not only were levels rising in the Mississippi River, but that River's waters were backing up into its tributaries, such as the Yazoo River in Mississippi, many of which are not lined with substantial levees, unlike the main stem Mississippi.  As the River crest flowed south, it threatened not only towns and cities and impacted River barge traffic, but also jeopardized crops already planted in Mississippi, and oil refining and pipeline infrastructure.

Estimates of farmland flooded in Lower Mississippi River Basin states of Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi were placed at three million acres, with one million acres under water in Arkansas, alone.

Farther downstream in Louisiana, the Army Corps opened up a spillway, allowing rising Mississippi waters to flow into the Atchafalaya River Basin; diverting some from flowing past New Orleans and its system of levees (here is a related map of Mississippi River flooding estimate for Louisiana). The Corps is also considering opening up a second (Morganza) Louisiana floodway "sometime between Friday and Tuesday" to further relieve pressure on the downstream flood control infrastructure designed to protect the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Policy Implications
The near-record flooding in the Mississippi Basin has prompted renewed calls for a change in the way water resources are managed in the region and elsewhere, and has particularly focused attention on the Basin's extensive levee system, its impacts on neighboring urban and rural communities and on the environment.  Some are recognizing the benefits of reoriented Dutch policy and their current massive nationwide project focused on the development of more natural defenses to replace constructed defenses.

Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project, recommended in a May 3 National Geographic "Daily News" article that what is called for is "a comprehensive plan to add ecological infrastructure to complement engineering infrastructure - specifically to expand wetlands and re-activate floodplains so as to mitigate future flood risks." The Nature Conservancy's Jeff Opperman places the 2011 flooding into an historical context in this comprehensive, late April blog, noting that the lessons from the historic 1927 Mississippi River flood event continue to hold true today, and the need exists to "continue to build resiliency into the system and let the floodplains do some of the work," along with the constructed infrastructure.  And the Water Protection Network suggested that the nation adopt "a growth policy that allows 'Room for Rivers' - retreating from their floodplains rather than continuing to develop upon them."  H.J. Bosworth Jr., civil engineer and director of research for Levees.org echoed the Water Protection Network sentiments, noting in this ABC news piece that, "there was lots of rainfall, but there was also lots of development . . . add(ing) to the burden of the drainage system and all that drainage goes into the Mississippi River."

Finally, in this CNN video segment, CNN’s Christine Romans interviewed American Rivers' Senior Vice President for Conservation Andrew Fahlund "about the country’s reliance on levees, what needs to change and what the next steps should be to contain the Mississippi river."
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Monday, May 9, 2011

Senate and House Hearings and Markups for the Week

Here are the Mississippi River Basin - relevant Senate and House hearings and bill markups scheduled for the upcoming week, with links to the applicable committee web site:
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Friday, May 6, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week: 

Water Quality-
Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
Agriculture -
In the States -
  • MN Residents, Agencies Look for Ways to Keep Sediment, Nutrients Out of Mississippi River http://bit.ly/jxULdR
  • Ohio EPA planning to change water quality rules through new regulatory package http://bit.ly/k1L0Zz
  • MN DOH: Minnesota's big walleye lakes low in/free of perfluorochemicals; no need for additional advisories http://bit.ly/kRy8TB
  • MO Gov. Nixon vetoes state bill restricting CAFO lawsuits http://bit.ly/iG89hQ
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
Federal Budget -
Higher-than-expected Federal tax income means that the demand for US borrowing has eased somewhat and that the latest possible date when Federal borrowing would be below the debt ceiling, even using all of the accounting measures that the Treasury Department can utilize, has been pushed back three weeks until the first week of August, the last week before the Congressional summer recess is set to begin.  That is the date that Congress would have to pass legislation agreeable to the Administration to raise the debt ceiling (and allow more Federal borrowing).  Some conservative House Members and Senators have said that they will resist raising the debt ceiling unless Democrats and the Obama Administration agree to push through deep spending cuts for the 2012 Fiscal Year and beyond.  The stories highlighted below describe the current state of budget negotiations.
Upcoming Events -
  • National Research Council to host Conversation on US Climate Choices; May 12; 4-6:30 PM EST; Washington, DC http://bit.ly/kVxQ92
  • 2011 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress; May 22-26, Palm Springs, CA http://bit.ly/kTZWLv
  • July 6 - 22 (or smaller portions of that entire trip): St Crois River Assoc "Paddle the St. Croix River" http://bit.ly/kLNBlv
  • Growing Sustainable Communities Conference; Dubuque, IA; Oct 12; theme: “Economy, Engagement, Eco-Efficiencies" http://bit.ly/j650Mn
  • Free webinar: Adaptation in a Changing Climate and its impact on National Security; June 22 http://bit.ly/lVHQBI
E-Newsletters-
Political Scene -
  • MO Legislature overrides Gov Nixon's redistricting bill veto http://bit.ly/l8GiOJ
  • Pew study: "independents" not monolithic voting block; there are 3 basic kinds http://bit.ly/lo9s9M
  • Rep. Pence (R-IN) announces he will run for governor instead of seeking re-election to Congress http://bit.ly/kOFOoW
  • New Senate GOP bill (S. 892) aims to consolidate Dept of Energy and USEPA; press release: http://bit.ly/iyK0OA
Gulf Coastal Area-
Other news-
  • Study: Environmental footprint assessments can lead to adoption of less environmentally sound practices http://bit.ly/mOL70z
  • Journal Science study: Climate change has already impacted crop yields worldwide since 1980 http://bit.ly/iTslfY
Last word -
"The Oval Office, I always thought I was going to have really cool phones and stuff. I’m like, c’mon guys, I’m the President of the United States. Where’s the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen comes up? It doesn’t happen.” - President Obama discussing technological bottlenecks at a Chicago Illinois fundraiser
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Thursday, May 5, 2011

A Slow Moving Disaster: Mississippi Flooding

I'm working remotely today at a USDA symposium, but wanted to post this very timely piece by way of Politico Daily:
UNDERCOVERED: "Slow-moving disaster along mighty Mississippi" - AP/Hickman, Ky.: "Anticipating a slow-motion disaster that could break flood records dating to the 1920s, thousands of people from Illinois to Louisiana have been forced from their homes, and anxiety is rising along with the mighty river, even though it could be a week or two before some of the most severe flooding hits.... [I]n Missouri, ... Army engineers blew up a levee and sacrificed vast stretches of farmland to protect populated areas upstream. ... Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour warned people to expect monumental flooding and said he was moving his furniture from his family's lakeside home to prepare for flooding from the Yazoo River."
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Environmental Organizations File Suit Over Mississippi River Basin Pollution

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Prairie Rivers Network and Sierra Club filed suit today (May 3) against the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District over water pollution impacts resulting from wastewater discharges that reach from Chicago, Illinois, down the Chicago, Des Plaines, Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and into the Gulf of Mexico. The complaint is available online as a pdf file here.  For background information see this earlier blog post.
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Monday, May 2, 2011

Federal Register Notice Published RE: EPA - Army Corps Guidance on Clean Water Act Extent of Jurisdiction

Below are links to today's (May 2) Federal Register notice regarding the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers proposed guidance for the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act (in partial response to the Supreme Court decision in the Rapanos v. United States case); comments are due on or before July 1, 2011.

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance: Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act; Federal Register pages 24479-24480:

For recent, related news on this matter, see here.
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Hearings and bill markups of interest this week

Here is a listing of House hearings and bill markups this week that are particularly relevant to Mississippi River Basin water issues (with links to bills and committee web sites):
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