In 2014, the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin – through the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA) – approved a shared plan for Clean Water Act (CWA) monitoring of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). This UMR CWA Recommended Monitoring Plan was developed to improve the consistency and quality of states’ UMR monitoring and assessment. Prior to Plan adoption, no comprehensive, coordinated CWA monitoring approach existed on the UMR, which has undermined the states’ ability to act in concert to identify and address water quality issues. Subsequent to Plan adoption, the states have moved forward to pursue its implementation and are seeking partners to assist/support: 1) water quality monitoring, 2) data compilation, analysis, and management, and 3) creation of tools to communicate monitoring outcomes.

Project Results

The most immediate beneficiaries of the project are the states' CWA water quality programs, as they will benefit from a standardized data set to utilize in their efforts to identify and address UMR water quality issues, as well as to measure results of actions taken. Moreover, the public in the region will benefit from additional, consistent information regarding the river and increased coordination among the states in addressing water quality challenges. Beyond the use of the monitoring data in states' CWA programs, the project envisions that monitoring outcomes will be communicated to the public via a UMR-wide, non-regulatory “state of the river” report.