Seizing a Watershed Moment Reports & Consumer Guides Seizing a
Watershed Moment The Mississippi River flows more than 2,000
miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and is the world’s
third-largest river basin. Millions of residents get their
drinking water from the Mississippi. The River supports a vast
array of economic, commercial, and recreational activities. But
runoff from farm fields pollutes lakes and streams in the 10
states1 that border the Mississippi River.2 And farm sediment,
fertilizer runoff and livestock waste are the source of over 70
percent of the pollution causing the Dead Zone in the
Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico.3 The Obama Administration
faces many challenges but also an unparalleled opportunity to
save the Mississippi and remedy these problems for future
generations. The Administration’s most promising tool is the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that offers substantial
financial inducements and technical assistance t