Introduction
The Mississippi River is one of the largest rivers in the United States and beyond, stretching from as far as Missouri in the north, all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. It’s often seen as one of the major symbols of the American experience, traversed by famous steamboats and traveled by pioneers throughout the centuries. In recent times, the River has been subjected to intensive dredging and land reclamation projects. In some sections, this has led to the reshaping of the riverbanks, creating wide water channels with deep dikes and canals. But what is the history behind these developments and how long did it take to dig the Mississippi River?
Early Projects
The first attempts at modifying the course of the Mississippi were carried out in the 1750s by land owners near Natchez and Louisiana wanting to benefit from the improved navigability. They realized that by cutting out short sections and making them deeper, allowing barges and larger boats to pass through, they could make it easier to move goods and supplies. The resulting Cut Offs, so called because they cut through and shifted the river away from its natural course, were not overly successful, with many of them silting up after a few years.
Long Term Projects
The large scale engineering works to improve the navigability of the Mississippi had to wait until the early 1800s. In the south, the Louisiana state legislature allocated large amounts of money to create deep cuts and channels, while further north the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carried out cutting works in order to link the waterways of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to the river.
The most ambitious project of all, though, was the Louisiana Delta Dredging and Diking project, which was undertaken in the early 1900s. The aim was to deepen and widen sections of the river to allow for the transport of heavy cargo, as well as stop flooding. The project employed large numbers of workers and took in excess of 20 years to complete its various elements, with large-scale canal-building work being carried out in order to achieve the desired effects. It is believed that during the project, over 6 million cubic meters of sediment were pumped out into the Gulf of Mexico.
Impacts of Projects
This kind of undertaking has had a huge impact on the natural landscape, with some of the widened canals even surpassing the size of the river itself. For example, Morganza Cutoff near Baton Rouge is more than 4 times wider than the original channel, while the Old River Control near New Orleans is 9 times bigger than the original. In addition, it is believed that the dredging works have altered the currents of the Mississippi, with some areas of the river being reported to have over-silted and become unnavigable.
Interests of the Big Players
It’s perhaps no surprise that the vested interests of large companies and transport operators have played a major role in the digging and dredging of the Mississippi River. For example, the Louisiana Delta Corporation (LDC) is said to have control over a large part of the river between the Gulf of Mexico and Baton Rouge and is actively involved in funding dredging projects to move more sediment down underneath their leased waterways.
Challenges of Conservation
The negative implications of such large scale works for the environment are difficult to ignore, yet environmentalists have had limited success in preventing them taking place. This is due in part to the relatively loose regulation of the Mississippi River, combined with the monetary incentives provided to those undertaking the dredging works. As a result, there’s been a considerable effort from conservationists to introduce more stringent goals and regulations, with some success.
Changing Public Opinion
In the last few decades, public opinion around the large-scale modifications of the Mississippi River has shifted considerably. Once seen as a necessary process for the economic development of the United States, increasingly people are now of the view that the process is damaging the environment and should be stopped. This shift in opinion has even led to the creation of some conservation groups with the sole aim of halting dredging works on the river.
Impact of Human Activity
It’s clear that the changes to the course of the Mississippi River have been largely due to human intervention, rather than any sort of natural phenomenon. After all, it’s unlikely that the river would have just altered its course on its own in such a drastic way. While there may be some benefits to the short-term projects in terms of improved navigability and access to certain parts of the river, the wider and long-term implications are difficult to ignore.
Pressure to Regulate
The dredging of the Mississippi as it stands today is a relatively unregulated activity, which means that the river is unprotected from further expansion or exploitation. There has been an increasing amount of pressure on decision-makers to introduce tighter regulations and controls to ensure that the historic course of the river is maintained and preserved, as well as protecting the environment from any further adverse impacts.
Continued Land Reclamation
In spite of all of the concerns raised by conservationists, the dredging and land reclamation of the Mississippi River is set to continue as long as there are companies benefiting from the process. There have been attempts to introduce tighter regulations and controls, yet these have been limited in their success. It’s likely, then, that the Mississippi River will continue to be impacted by human activity for some time to come, with all of the implications that this brings.
Traditional Uses and Market Implications
The traditional uses of the Mississippi River have been severely impacted by the dredging works and land reclamation projects that have been carried out in the past few decades. The widened canals and deepened channels have made some parts of the river inaccessible to traditional ships, while the flattened sections have resulted in large-scale flooding in the region. These changes have also had a major impact on the local market, leading to decreases in the prices of goods due to the increased competition and easier access to supply.
Environmental Implications
The environmental implications of the dredging of the Mississippi River have been immense, with wildlife and habitats all across the watershed being severely impacted. Large-scale changes to the course of the river have isolated and isolated previously accessible areas, while the increased silt levels have made some sections of the river unnavigable. Moreover, water levels have been known to rapidly drop in certain areas, resulting in large-scale flooding.
Impact on Local Communities
The people of the Mississippi River are one of the worst affected by the changes to the river. Fishing communities that used to depend on it for sustenance and livelihoods have been direly impacted, with some now facing the very real prospect of poverty and unemployment. Traditional boats have become obsolete, while there have been reports of riverbeds being contaminated with toxic chemicals and debris.
Alternative Solutions
Learning from the mistakes of the past, it’s clear that more sustainable and environmentally conscious practices should be adopted when dealing with modification of the Mississippi River. One solution that has been suggested is that of wetlands restoration, whereby areas of the river which have been damaged by human activity would be restored to their natural appearance. This is seen as a more benign way of protecting the river, as it would minimize disturbance to the environment, as well as ensuring that the traditional uses of the river remain intact.
Restoration Efforts
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of restoration efforts carried out along the Mississippi River. For example, the One Mississippi project, which is backed by various corporate investors and federal funds, has set out to restore over a thousand acres of wetlands in the Mississippi delta region. This is seen as a way of restoring the natural balance of the river, as well as helping to reduce flood damage and preserve habitats for threatened species.
Future of the Mississippi
Ultimately, the future of the Mississippi River will depend on the actions taken by decision-makers in the years to come. If the current trends continue, then there’s a danger of further environmental degradation and disruption to the traditional uses of the river. On the other hand, if new and more sustainable solutions are adopted, then the Mississippi could be restored to its former glory and become once more a symbol of America.
