Dry states taking Mississippi River water isn't a new idea. But some mayors want to kill it
Diverting Mississippi River water to states struggling with water scarcity isn't a new idea
ST. LOUIS — Community leaders along the Mississippi River worried that dry southwestern states will someday try to take the river's water may soon take their first step toward blocking such a diversion.
Mayors from cities along the river are expected to vote on whether to support a new compact among the river’s 10 states at this week's annual meeting of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, according to its executive director Colin Wellenkamp. Supporters of a compact hope it will strengthen the region’s collective power around shared goals like stopping water from leaving the corridor.
“It is the most important working river on earth,” said Wellenkamp. “It’s a matter of national security that the Mississippi River corridor remain intact, remain sustainable and remain ecologically and hydrologically healthy.”
The Southwest has long struggled to find enough water for its growing population in a region prone to drought that climate change is making worse. Transporting water from the Mississippi River basin, which drains roughly 40% of the continental United States, has always been a long shot that many say isn’t practical or remotely cost-effective. But Wellenkamp worries that conversation around the idea hasn’t stopped.
A formal compact is still far off. The mayors' support would be just the first step in a lengthy, politically fraught process that would require buy-in from all 10 states along the river and federal approval, experts said. Those states range from left-leaning states like Minnesota, where the river begins, to thoroughly conservative states like Louisiana, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
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