Mississippi
How Minnesota’s little, polluted Crow River clouds the Mississippi | The Lens
![How Minnesota’s little, polluted Crow River clouds the Mississippi | The Lens How Minnesota’s little, polluted Crow River clouds the Mississippi | The Lens](https://thelensnola.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08-21CROW071722_mv-scaled.jpeg)
Carrie Jennings flits across the South Fork Crow River like a water bug within the outdated one-seat canoe she purchased years in the past for $100, then pauses midstream to look down on the brown water.
“That is loopy cloudy,” she mutters.
She has come to take a look at this higher attain of the Crow River because it begins its journey by means of central Minnesota farm nation to the Mississippi River — exhibiting how one little river may cause a lot harm.
The paddle comes as work will get underway on a serious new multi-county water high quality plan for the South Fork Crow watershed beneath the state of Minnesota’s “One Watershed, One Plan” framework.
The stakes are excessive.
The state’s cherished Mississippi River is clear because it emerges in northern Minnesota and heads south. Then it meets the Crow River, the primary main agricultural river emptying into it, and its nutrient air pollution doubles, state air pollution officers say, including phosphorous, nitrogen and sediment. You possibly can see the water change on the intersection, some paddlers say.
The Minnesota Air pollution Management Company (MPCA) caught a fats exclamation level on the spot, close to Dayton north of the Twin Cities, on its map of the Higher Mississippi.
Jennings, analysis and coverage director with the St. Paul nonprofit Freshwater Society, factors together with her paddle to some key the explanation why.
Giant black plastic pipes jut from the banks of the South Fork Crow River close to Cosmos, Minnesota in Meeker County, pouring water into it at almost each bend. It’s tile drainage water, coming from beneath fields which are crammed largely with corn and soybeans right here, about 80 miles west of the place the Crow joins the Mississippi.
The almost invisible community of pipes is sort of a huge underground freeway system, draining away water to maximise crop yields. The tile line drainage carries farm chemical compounds — state air pollution regulators say it’s the one greatest supply of nitrate within the Mississippi, delivering 43% of it.
Together with the floor runoff, the tile drainage additionally will increase the Crow’s quantity. Excessive flows claw at its banks, a dynamic solely worsened by local weather change’s heavier rains.
The scouring exposes the roots of mighty cottonwoods and different timber on the banks, a lot of which have toppled into the river. There must be a sandy, gravelly combine on the Crow’s banks and riverbed, Jennings stated. As an alternative there’s a thick black mud, like a quicksand, that sucks off footwear.
Scoured river banks, versus fields, have been a rising supply of the sediment within the Mississippi River, she stated. High soil washed off fields remains to be important, she stated, “it’s simply that the massive improve has been from the non-field sources.”
Jennings stated she expects to see water that brown within the Minnesota River, the state’s notoriously soiled agricultural river to the south, however not within the Crow. And that is simply the Crow’s begin. It solely picks up extra because it rolls downstream by means of heavy ag nation similar to Renville County earlier than becoming a member of the primary Crow River at Rockford, Minnesota.
From there the Crow runs to the Mississippi, bringing its share of the air pollution driving the massive and rising oxygen-depleted “lifeless zone” within the Gulf of Mexico.
“If our system of agriculture does this to rivers this far up within the Mississippi River watershed, think about the cumulative harm by the point you attain the Gulf,” Jennings stated. “This isn’t a thriller that must be solved. We all know why these are rivers impaired and we all know learn how to repair them.”
Agriculture isn’t the one supply of the Crow’s air pollution, nevertheless it’s a major one. Wastewater remedy crops and metropolis storm water runoff consider. The underside line is that almost all of the land within the Crow River’s watersheds is in agriculture, as row cropping marches farther north in Minnesota.
At situation are problematic agricultural practices similar to overapplying nitrogen fertilizer and manure, extra drain tiling with pipes that dump straight into ditches and streams, and over-tilling the soil. East of Cosmos, the place Jennings paddled, the South Fork Crow meanders naturally; upstream it’s an unnaturally straight farm drainage channel.
Because the Clear Water Act exempts ag drainage and runoff, environmental regulators depend on convincing farmers to voluntarily undertake finest administration practices: making use of fertilizer extra exactly, planting cowl crops to seize extra nitrogen within the soil and altering tile drain shops. One repair is draining tile water right into a wetland or basin first.
Such practices nonetheless aren’t mainstream. Change has been gradual. It may all take many years, stated MPCA watershed undertaking supervisor Scott Lucas: “So many alternative issues have to vary.”
Giant stretches of each of the Crow’s primary forks stay impaired for aquatic recreation or fish consumption, and for aquatic life similar to bugs. Whereas there’s been progress through the years reducing phosphorous within the Mississippi River, there’s been virtually none on reducing nitrate, air pollution officers say.
‘I don’t know once we would have been in a position to plant with out the tile’
Native farmers say they’re conscious of the issues and wish to be good stewards of the land. However weighing conservation vs. manufacturing may be tough when farm revenue margins are skinny. And altering entrenched farming practices is difficult, stated Joe Norman, district technician with the Meeker County Soil & Water Conservation District.
But, slowly, practices are evolving. For instance, authorities packages have funded 81 wetland restorations within the South Fork Crow River Watershed since 2004, state information present. Nonetheless, whereas they could profit water high quality, most aren’t the kind designed to gather and deal with tile drainage runoff, stated David Wall, environmental analysis scientist on the Minnesota Air pollution Management Company.
Doug Adams, who farms 1,500 acres together with his household close to Cosmos, together with land on the South Fork Crow, stated he switched to strip tilling, which disturbs the soil much less and leaves plant particles on the floor for higher soil cowl. It reduce his fertilizer use by 40%, he stated. It additionally retains his topsoil in place and reduces runoff into the river, with no change in his crop yield.
However reducing again on his tile drainage system? Not an choice. This spring was moist and late, he stated. Fields had been waterlogged.
“I don’t know once we would have been in a position to plant with out the tile,” Adams stated.
Adams stated he doesn’t suppose his tile water is polluted, and that he wouldn’t be afraid to drink it.
Cities, too, are making modifications. Hutchinson, Minnesota is embarking on a multi-million greenback undertaking to deal with sediment and air pollution the South Fork Crow carries into Otter and Campbell lakes, two shallow lakes within the metropolis. Which means working with native landowners, shoring up crumbling stream banks, restoring wetlands and including native buffer plantings, amongst different issues.
The Crow River’s affect on the Mississippi River is well-known within the watershed world, nevertheless it’s tough to make folks care, stated John Paulson, Hutchinson’s undertaking environmental regulatory supervisor. Communities want to deal with the issue regionally, the place they’ll see it.
That’s what Kandiyohi County did. The county, positioned about 100 miles west of Minneapolis, simply completed a decades-long undertaking to revive a big drained prairie wetland within the headwaters space of the South Fork Crow close to Willmar, the Kandiyohi County seat. Greater than a dozen households bought the state everlasting conservation easements to rebuild Grass Lake. It now holds and filters farm drainage and storm water from Willmar, stated Kandiyohi County drainage supervisor Loren Engelby. A big gate valve permits them to handle water ranges.
Already, frogs and turtles and birds are returning, Engelby stated. Grass Lake’s water flows to Lake Wakanda and Little Kandiyohi Lake, impaired lakes which are the official headwaters of the South Fork Crow River.
However you would argue that the river’s true supply is the outdated Kandi Mall parking zone in Willmar, stated DNR wildlife supervisor Cory Netland, who works within the space. The mall was constructed over a cow pasture comprised of a drained wetland, and the parking zone drains into a big ditch that runs to Grass Lake.
Engelby calls Grass Lake “an enormous kidney” that he expects will considerably cut back nitrate, phosphorous and sediment washing into the South Fork Crow.
“It is a huge piece of the puzzle,” he stated, “nevertheless it’s a really massive puzzle.”
The Lens is republishing this story, which initially appeared within the Minneapolis Star Tribune, as a part of its partnership with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk. The Ag & Water Desk is an editorially unbiased reporting community primarily based on the College of Missouri College of Journalism in partnership with Report For America and funded by the Walton Household Basis.
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Mississippi
Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)
![Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31) Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/high_school/01j5m63arexrvt6r9tmr.jpg)
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.
DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.
Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.
Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.
Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.
Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.
Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.
Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.
Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.
Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.
Mississippi
‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations
![‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations ‘If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all’: Broadway in Jackson speaks out about possible show cancellations](https://gray-wlbt-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3KMJQZPKGBHNRCT7NENQ3O72YY.png?auth=8e7e3183f489f41a63616389bdae4dd45efc187856d208138265c67183c736b4&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – It’s been one month since Thalia Mara Hall closed its doors due to a mold outbreak.
Innovation Arts and Entertainment is the company responsible for bringing Broadway productions to Jackson.
Representatives from the company visited Jackson after hearing the building had been closed.
CEO Adam Epstein says the City of Jackson did not inform them of the news.
“We did not find out from anybody within the city. We found out by reading news clippings forwarded to us by other people in Jackson,” Epstein said.
Certified Industrial Hygienic Testing reported visible dirt, debris, and suspected mold growth on many surfaces.
Epstein fears this could change the possibility of bigger shows coming to the capital city.
“They’re going to skip over us because of this mess. We need to show as a community that Jackson cares about this valuable asset and that we demand our elected leaders to support and treat this really, incredibly valuable asset with the TLC it deserves,” he said.
Thalia Mara Hall is the only venue in the state that can host a Broadway production due to the technical needs and accommodations required.
“Touring theatrical shows. If they cannot play Thalia Hall, they cannot play in Mississippi at all,” he said.
Broadway in Jackson is not only a great source of entertainment in the city, but it’s also beneficial economically.
“Those other businesses don’t benefit. The city doesn’t earn tax revenue from events that we present. They don’t earn rental income from the events we present. They don’t earn facility fees from the events we present. This is a real tragedy. It’s unacceptable.”
The well-being of the potential audience is the company’s main priority.
“I will not risk our ticket buyers’ health and safety and comfort. Our shows can and will cancel before we’d ever put somebody in jeopardy. We’ve issued a 100% guarantee of a full refund if the venue is not given a clean bill of health,” Epstein said.
All shows will be canceled on a case-to-case basis.
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Mississippi
Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says
![Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says Tire failure suspected in deadly Mississippi bus crash, NTSB says](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/07/11/USAT/9631b18b-dce5-449d-a448-47f4b71a9b44-MS-01.png?auto=webp&crop=3954,2224,x823,y443&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that killed seven and injured 36 people.
The deadly bus crash in Mississippi that killed seven people and injured dozens of others early Saturday occurred after the vehicle experienced a tire failure, causing it to run off the road and overturn, officials and authorities said.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, are conducting a probe into Saturday’s crash that left seven people dead and another 36 people injured. The collision occurred at about 12:40 a.m. on Interstate 20 near Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the bus left the roadway and overturned.
The bus, which authorities described as a 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus, traveled westbound when its left front tire failed, NTSB member Todd Inman said at a news conference Sunday. The bus then moved onto an embankment and rolled over on its left side.
Inman added that investigators will be at the scene for at least another week and are looking into several factors of the crash, including the vehicle’s mechanical condition, motor carrier safety, the condition and experience of the driver, and environmental factors.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation records, the bus was operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos. Records show that in the 24 months before Saturday, the transit company’s vehicles were involved in one fatal crash, two injury collisions, and a crash requiring a tow truck.
The transit company has over 20 years of experience and provides trips between more than 100 destinations throughout Mexico and the United States, according to Autobuses Regiomontanos’ website.
“Everyone at the NTSB sends their expressions of sorrow for everything that the survivors and victims of this crash went through,” Inman said.
7 killed, 36 injured in bus crash
The bus carried a total of 41 passengers and two drivers, according to authorities. It was traveling from Atlanta to Dallas when the incident occurred.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to Master Sergeant Kervin K. Stewart with the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Six people were pronounced dead at the scene and another person died later at a hospital, Stewart said.
Another 36 people were transported to area hospitals.
Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey said two victims killed in the crash were identified by their mother as a 16-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, according to The New York Times. Authorities were working to identify the other victims.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
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