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New initiative aims to bring greater attention to Mississippi River issues

Mayors from 19 cities and towns are in St. Louis this week to launch a new initiative aimed at bringing greater attention to issues affecting the Mississippi River.

A total of 41 mayors, so far, have formally agreed to the partnership, which is set to begin lobbying congress in March of next year.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said mutual interests trump party politics.

“Most of them, I couldn’t tell you if they’re Republican or Democrat, and I don’t care,” Slay said. “Because, this is about doing the right thing for our communities, for our environment and for our economy.”

From the headwaters in Minnesota to the Mississippi Delta, more than 18 million people get their drinking water from the main stem of the river, according to the group.  Even though the waterway is one big economic engine, the mayors also pledged to make sure conservationists have a seat at the table as they move forward.

Tim Lloyd / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio

East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks said ensuring his community is adequately protected from flooding is a key part of his participation in the effort.

“Our infrastructure must be fool proof,” Parks said.  “We’ve got have that situation where it’s at least 100-year-flood-proof, and preferably moving toward 500-year-flood-proof.” 

Follow Tim Lloyd on Twitter: @timslloyd

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Tim Lloyd grew up north of Kansas City and holds a masters degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Prior to joining St. Louis Public Radio, he launched digital reporting efforts for Harvest Public Media, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting funded collaboration between Midwestern NPR member stations that focuses on agriculture and food issues. His stories have aired on a variety of stations and shows including Morning Edition, Marketplace, KCUR, KPR, IPR, NET, WFIU. He won regional Edward R Murrow Awards in 2013 for Writing, Hard News and was part of the reporting team that won for Continuing Coverage. In 2010 he received the national Debakey Journalism Award and in 2009 he won a Missouri Press Association award for Best News Feature.