Mississippi
New Mississippi River cut should be closed, Corps analysis says, despite state opposition
Regardless of vocal opposition from the state and coastal advocates, an environmental evaluation compiled by the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers appeared to help the closure of a newly-formed channel diverting a part of the Mississippi River via Plaquemines Parish’s east financial institution.
An environmental evaluation launched Friday weighed the affect of closing most of Neptune Go, the brand new river reduce, in opposition to taking no motion in any respect — and the Corps’ conclusion appeared to lean towards constricting the waterway.
“With out the proposed building of the movement management function, situations would proceed to deteriorate, leading to an elevated risk to navigation,” acknowledged the report.
U.S. Military Corps of Engineers
As proposed, the Corps would assemble a stone management construction that will limit the water flowing via Neptune Go to a 100-foot extensive, 10-foot deep opening, although the design gained’t be finalized till after a 30-day remark interval. A value estimate may also come after the company decides on a design.
That will be a serious downgrade from its present measurement. Since 2019, the main channel has grown to about 850 ft extensive and round 90 ft deep at some factors, carrying greater than an eighth of the Mississippi River’s movement.
Because the river scours out Neptune Go, land has begun to type the place it empties out on the aspect into Quarantine Bay. An space that was as soon as 10 ft deep is now simply two ft deep, shallow sufficient to face in. However on the river aspect, a slower Mississippi River has additionally allowed extra sand and dust to drop out and construct within the delivery channel, which pressured the Military Corps to authorize emergency dredging earlier this 12 months. That dredging value about $530,000, based on Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett.
U.S. Military Corps of Engineers
The Louisiana Coastal Safety and Restoration Authority and environmental teams advocating for Louisiana’s coast have argued that the Corps wants to acknowledge the worth of the brand new delta forming at Neptune Go’ outfall – a uncommon sight in a state dropping about one soccer discipline of land each 100 minutes.
“We wish to have the science behind the choice, to know what’s occurring earlier than there are modifications made to the cross and attempt to handle for navigation and restoration,” mentioned Amanda Moore, the Nationwide Wildlife Federation’s Gulf program director.
If it’s not potential to depart the channel open, critics of the Corps’ method mentioned the federal company ought to think about different design choices that will enable Quarantine Bay and different surrounding wetlands to keep up a stronger connection to the land-building energy of the Mississippi River.
However sustaining navigation has lengthy been the Corps’ first precedence, and its environmental evaluation discovered that the company’s plan would get rid of the risk posed by Neptune Go.
“Within the absence of the proposed motion, uncontrolled water and sediment movement would proceed to be diverted from the Mississippi River, leading to continued shoaling within the adjoining section of the river,” acknowledged the report.
The evaluation additionally asserted that many of the land progress documented by satellite tv for pc imagery was seemingly because of the redistribution of mud and sand that the river eroded from inside the channel, relatively than land constructed from new materials carried in by the river.
However the state and advocates mentioned that’s nonetheless an open query, and a brand new examine is underway to attempt to reply it.
A brand new satellite tv for pc photos reveals rising mouths bars- teardrop formed islands in #Louisiana. These is the place Neptune Go, a brand new channel carrying ~15% of the Mississippi River, meets Quarantine Bay. This can be one of many largest deltaic land constructing occasions in many years. pic.twitter.com/6lp96Mpynb
— Alex Kolker (@AlexSKolker) July 28, 2022
Alex Kolker, a geologist with the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, will lead the examine alongside surveyor Dallon Weathers beginning this week. They hope to complete the “mass steadiness examine” by the top of the general public remark interval and submit the information to the Corps for consideration.
Kolker defined the mass steadiness examine would use soundwaves, drone lasers and satellite tv for pc imagery amongst different instruments to match how a lot sediment has eroded from the channel to the quantity that has constructed up on the bay aspect. Whereas it’s indeniable that some semi-permanent land has been constructed, these estimates will start to color a clearer image of the way it’s occurring.
The 30-day public remark interval opened on Sept. 16 and is predicted to shut on Oct. 16.
The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.
Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.
Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.
The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.
CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.
Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.
Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.
Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.
Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.
Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.
Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.
11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)
16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)
21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)
Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.
However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.
For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.
The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.
The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.
Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.
Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.
“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.
Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.
“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”
It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.
“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”
The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.
A full report will be released in 2026.
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.
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