Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk

States reeling from winter storm encounter a smaller FEMA

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 1 Feb 2026 04:00:14 -0600

The Trump administration was quick to mobilize initial aid, but it’s not clear how a shrunken agency will handle the long-term recovery costs.

Paddling the length of the Mississippi River is a grand adventure

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:00:02 -0500

“The big alligators will swim about 20 yards from you, parallel to you, and they’ll stay right next to you for about half a mile,” said one paddler. “What they’re trying to do is figure out who’s bigger — you in the kayak, or them.”

Mississippi River loses most of its 'white gold' before reaching Gulf

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 2 Jun 2025 04:00:01 -0500

Sand, silt and clay is essential to rebuilding — or, at this point, maintaining — the fragile coastline that has been receding for decades. But less than 10% of the Mississippi River’s sediment reaches the critical Bird’s Foot Delta.

Mississippi River cities brace for still-rising floodwaters

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Wed, 9 Apr 2025 04:00:08 -0500

The river is now forecast to crest in Cairo, Illinois, at up to 54 feet on Thursday, April 10 — just over major flood stage — and the river could stay above 50 feet for about two weeks.

Mississippi River mayors lobby for more flood funding

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 04:00:04 -0500

While the Mississippi River group is not shying away from using words like “climate” and “resilience” in its policy goals, members are uncertain how much federal support they can count on, given recent government cutbacks.

Lower Mississippi's largest ecosystem restoration gets go-ahead but not funding

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 04:00:14 -0600

The $63.7 million project would restore forests and wetland habitats along 39 miles of the Mississippi River.

Decades after it disappeared, wild rice is blooming again on the Upper Mississippi

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 18:42:00 -0600

For some, the resurgence of the wild rice is a source of wonder. For others, it’s more of a nuisance, making it hard to maneuver boats through areas that were once easily passable.

As salt water flows up Mississippi, the region looks for solutions

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 1 Dec 2024 04:00:05 -0600

This is the third year in a row that salt water from the Gulf of Mexico has crept up the Mississippi River. This phenomenon, known as salt water intrusion, previously only happened about once per decade.

Mississippi River towns seek to fund flood-damage recovery

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 14:50:37 -0600

Mayors along the Mississippi River have watched as intensifying rain storms and floods wreak havoc. This fall, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative announced a new pilot program to help river towns better recover.

It's not a matter of if but when: Midwest states prepare for next big earthquake along New Madrid fault

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 17:45:35 -0500

A small earthquake brought tremors across the Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri border earlier this month, a reminder that much of the Midwest sits on a major fault line, which saw one of the most destructive earthquakes in history in 1812.

As Delta towns lose population, culture and history disappear with them

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 8 Sep 2024 04:00:04 -0500

Corona, Tennessee, is one of 35 border communities that, over time, have been cut off from their state by the Mississippi River. Located in unincorporated Tipton, it’s a two-hour drive from the rest of county.

Invasive carp are surging in the Mississippi River. Can people be convinced to eat them?

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Fri, 9 Aug 2024 21:01:15 -0500

Four species of Asian carp have firmly established a home in the Mississippi River basin, and experts say they are here to stay. But one way to get the carp population under control seems relatively simple — eat them.

Billions of cicadas will emerge in the Mississippi River basin this spring

kbrewer@dailymemphian.com (Keely Brewer) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 04:00:01 -0600

Starting in late April, two major broods of cicadas will emerge together in the U.S. for the first time in 221 years. Memphis, however, won’t see cicadas outside of our normal ones until 2028.

Renewed legislation aims to protect Mississippi River amid environmental worries

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 04:00:11 -0600

“Since (this legislation) was first introduced (in 2021), the conditions of the world we live in just keep showing us that there is an urgent need to address these problems, and they’re not solving themselves,” said the executive director of the Mississippi River Network.

Midwest snowfall could bring drought relief to Mississippi River basin

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 04:00:02 -0600

“We have some huge rainfall deficits that have built up, not only over the last year but the last few years,” said the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Midwest Climate Hub.

How clean is the upper Mississippi River? Report finds improvement but emerging threats

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0600

The upper Mississippi River is getting saltier but concentrations of most metals have decreased.

As climate risks increase, Mississippi River towns look to each other for solutions

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 04:00:15 -0600

The past few years have brought wild fluctuations between flooding and drought, bringing more stress to the communities nestled along the Mississippi’s 2,350 miles.

Nonstop dredging kept the Mississippi River open this year

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 04:00:05 -0600

But moving mountains of sand during historic low water levels creates its own problems.

The Mississippi River is central to America’s story. Why doesn’t it get more love?

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Tue, 5 Dec 2023 04:00:01 -0600

The Mississippi River is a big deal. One of the world’s great rivers, it hosts an abundance of wildlife habitat and provides drinking water for almost 20 million people. But it seems to carry less reverence than other iconic water bodies across the country.

Climate report indicates dire future for Mississippi River basin

info@agwaterdesk.org (Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk) — Mon, 4 Dec 2023 04:00:04 -0600

Within the contiguous U.S., temperatures have risen by 2.5°F since 1970, compared to a global average rise of about 1.7°F over the same period.