Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A sustainable future for the Mississippi watershed?

That's what river interests are considering this week in St. Louis. The timing of their meeting could not be better as it comes just before the second round of mid- course reviews for the teams competing in the Arch design competition.

Early plans to reinvigorate the downtown St. Louis riverfront included such ideas as manmade, floating islands. But those were ruled out due to the frequent flooding and fast currents of the river at St. Louis.

The Mississippi watershed is one of the largest in the world, and having its future planned in St. Louis is a great opportunity. Weaving these efforts together with the future of the Arch grounds provides further opportunities for connecting St. Louis with its historic riverfront, creating sustainable futures for the river and the riverfront.

There is more reading to do. What defines a "sustainable watershed"? With all the water the Mississippi River carries, what distinguishes it from being a sustainable or non-sustainable watershed? The answer probably has something to do with such things as flood plains, flooding, dams, river travel, and farmlands...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Leave it as God intended. The fingers of man have intruded on too many natural resources.

gloria bilchik said...

No doubt, the river is a key, overlooked asset for St. Louis. For a cool perspective, try walking over the Eads Bridge [it's a short stroll]. It's an enlightening experience. For an account of a recent guided walk, with a bit of video, check out this blog posting at http://www.occasionalplanet.org/?p=3268.