{"id":13098,"date":"2023-10-14T11:35:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-14T10:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=13098"},"modified":"2023-10-14T11:35:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T10:35:03","slug":"is-mississippi-river-closed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/is-mississippi-river-closed\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Mississippi River Closed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Is Mississippi River Closed?<\/h2>\n

The Mississippi River is practically known for iconic slogans such as ‘The Father of Waters’ and ‘The Big Muddy’. It is a symbol of the American dream, of progress and development in the United States. The Mississippi’s history has been filled with struggles, especially those leading to its demise. In recent years, it has come under immense scrutiny for being overused, polluted, and numerous other environmental effects that have led to its disappearance as a great navigable river.\n<\/p>\n

The Mississippi, in its entirety, extends from the Rocky Mountains of Minnesota, through ten states, and eventually entering the Gulf of Mexico. It is a prominent natural feature of the US, with the length of the mainstem measuring 2,300 miles, making it the fourth longest river in the world and the longest in the United States. The river’s drainage basin is quite expansive, occupying parts of 32 states, two provinces in Canada, and draining over half of the land area of the United States. Unfortunately, human activity has also had an effect on the river and it has been threatened with closure due to the diminishing and deteriorating water quality.\n<\/p>\n

In recent years, the amount of pollution in the Mississippi River has been rapidly increasing. According to the environmental advocacy group, American Rivers, a 2012 survey of the river revealed the presence of more than 40 pollutants in the sediment and water column, including nitrates, industrial chemicals, lead, and mercury. In addition, the excessive growth of algal blooms due to agricultural runoff is another major contributor to the degradation of the Mississippi’s ecosystem. As a result, the water quality has decreased significantly, threatening several native species of fish and other aquatic creatures.\n<\/p>\n

The situation of the Mississippi River has been monitored closely by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the past several years. In 2012, the EPA declared the river a navigable waterway, proposing the Clean Water Act of 1972. This law proposed to reduce the amount of pollutants discharged into the river, and also protect against sewage and other industrial pollutants. The EPA also proposed a goal of improving the overall water quality for the next 10 years. The EPA projected that the river would be cleaner and healthier by 2022, with improvements in the quality of the Mississippi River including decreased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from industrial factories, as well as improved habitat for wildlife.\n<\/p>\n