Mississippi proves mighty test for infrastructure idea: Iowa asks for better locks and dams, but no way to pay for it
Author
Published
3/20/2018
The Mississippi runs the spine of America, touching 10 states and draining waters from 21 more, a vast waterway with a rich mythology, a sometimes powerful beauty and an always alarming propensity to flood.
Nearly 30 locks and dams hold back water in the river’s upper reaches. Every river bend to the south is lined by concrete to slow the water’s corrosive force. Levees corset thousands of miles of riverbanks and 170 bridges run above. All of this is aimed at permitting barge traffic and protecting farms and cities. Most of it is decrepit.
Now, with President Donald Trump’s push for a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, there are hopes of billions to fix up the Mississippi. Iowa, for instance, lists modernizing Upper Mississippi locks and dams among its top five infrastructure priories for Trump.
But there are clashes over which projects to pursue first, and no agreement on how to pay for any of it. Moreover, a move to tame one portion of the river can create chaos for people somewhere else along its 2,350-mile path, “It doesn’t behave like it used to,” said John Carlin, a towboat pilot who has worked the Hannibal, Mo., riverfront for over 40 years. “Seems like it doesn’t take much to get out of control.”
Read the full article on the Washington Post website.Want more news on this topic? Farm Bureau members may subscribe for a free email news service, featuring the farm and rural topics that interest them most!