A variety of factors have contributed to the increase in the sediment load that is destroying the Lower Minnesota and Upper Mississippi Rivers in Pool 2. Causes include unsuccessful storm water management policies and outdated agricultural land use policies that have allowed this situation to compound.
After more than 20 years of increased interest paid by environmental groups and government agencies, Friends of Pool 2 asks, “Where is the improvement?”
In recent years, back channels have closed in to the point where they’re no longer navigable. Many riverfront property owners no longer have main channel access. Hundreds of acres of backwaters that previously provided habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife have filled in with silt or dried up completely.
These problems have been exacerbated by obsolete and misguided management policies. We believe they can be solved by enacting new science-based policies built upon what has been learned through research, studies, observation, and pilot projects. Excess sediment loads adversely affect everyone’s river experience, from canoe to houseboat, from birdwatcher to barge, and scores of river businesses, too.
After more than 20 years of increased interest paid by environmental groups and government agencies, Friends of Pool 2 asks, “Where is the improvement?”
In recent years, back channels have closed in to the point where they’re no longer navigable. Many riverfront property owners no longer have main channel access. Hundreds of acres of backwaters that previously provided habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife have filled in with silt or dried up completely.
These problems have been exacerbated by obsolete and misguided management policies. We believe they can be solved by enacting new science-based policies built upon what has been learned through research, studies, observation, and pilot projects. Excess sediment loads adversely affect everyone’s river experience, from canoe to houseboat, from birdwatcher to barge, and scores of river businesses, too.