| The
Mighty Mississippi
Communities up and down the river
use the Mississippi to obtain fresh drinking water and to
discharge their industrial and municipal waste waters. We do not
have accurate figures on water use for the entire Mississippi
River Basin, but do have some clues.
A January 2000 study published by the Upper Mississippi River
Conservation Committee states that close to 15 million people
rely on the Mississippi River, or its tributaries, in the upper
half of the river basin (from St. Cloud, Minnesota to Cairo,
Illinois). Another frequently cited figure of 18 million people
using the Mississippi River watershed for drinking water supply
comes from a 1980's study by the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Committee. The US Environmental Protection Agency simply says
that more than 50 communities rely on the Mississippi for daily
drinking water supplies.
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The Mississippi River at Little Falls, Minnesota
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