Mississippi River Gets Poor Grades

A report card is out on the Mississippi River basin, and the grade is not good: a D+, with the river's aging transportation infrastructure topping the list of concerns. America's Watershed Initiative planned to release details of their report at a news conference Wednesday in St. Louis. An early synopsis was provided to The Associated Press. The report card assessed categories such as the abundance of clean water, flood control and risk, ecosystem health, the economy and recreation. The category of biggest concern was the condition of infrastructure such as locks and dams. The group, which includes representatives from business, nonprofits and the public sector with expertise in river and conservation issues, found the aging infrastructure weakens the ability to move and export food and goods.