Effects of man on the Mississippi River

Abstract

Concern over the negative effects of the enhancement of the Mississippi River continues to rise, and scientists speaking at the Geological Society of America meeting held in St. Louis, Mo., November 6–9, addressed some of those concerns. “Enhancement” covers engineered changes to the river, such as channel alignment, meander cutoff, and levee construction.Changes in the Lower Mississippi River are of particular interest because the river supplies water and transportation. Problems include water pollution, loss of wetlands, decrease in fish population, and the erosion of protective barrier islands. Robert E. Rentschler of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Miss., discussed the response of the river to 200 years of engineering activities. However, Roger T. Saucier, alsc with the Corps of Engineers, noted that humans have been altering the river for their own use for at least 12,000 years, passively by burning, land clearing, and selective exploitation, which caused surface erosion and vegetation changes; and actively, by stream diversions and structural constructions.