James C. Case
Published: 1980
Total Pages: 196
Get eBook
The Mississippi is the greatest river in North America, gathering run-off from 22 states draining 1.2 million square miles. It is the third largest watershed in the world, flowing 2,348 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Millions of people live on its banks and draw life from its waters. Over five hundred kinds of animals live among the diverse plant communities that thrive in and along the river. Man, in his progress, has put the river to many varied and sometimes conflicting uses. The pressures of man's use of the river are feared to be degrading the environmental qualities of the river. More information is needed on the complex interactions of the river's resources and these resource reactions to mans activities on the river. When this information is obtained, it can then be used to determine where problems exist and the alternatives available to man to solve these problems and coordinate river uses to minimize conflicts. In response to increasing public concern for the environmental quality of the river, the Great River Study was authorized by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 (PL94-587). This legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ... 'to investigate and study, in cooperation with interested states and Federal agencies, through the Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission, the development of a river system management plant ... '.