UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER NATIONAL
RECREATION AREA STUDY
WATER QUALITY AND USES OF THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER FROM MISSOURI RIVER TO MINNEAPOLIS
PREPARED FOR
BUREAU OF OUTDOOR RECREATION
LAKE CENTRAL REGION
BY
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION
GREAT LAKES REGION
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
OCTOBER, 1969
-------
-------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I Introduction 1
Purpose 1
Description 1
Background 2
II Water Uses 3
General 3
Present 3
Future L,
III Water Quality 5
General 5
Present 7
Future ]_0
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE
1 6
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE
1 - Following Page 11
-------
I. INTRODUCTION
Purpose. The purpose of this report is twofold: to present the existing
and future water uses of that section of the Mississippi River under study;
and to present the existing water quality, and the anticipated water quality
needed to meet future water uses. The present and future water uses are
taken from the Interstate Water Quality Standards adopted by the various
states as required by the Water Quality Act of 1965.
The present water quality has been determined from an analysis of ex-
isting data and previous reports. The future water quality is based on the
requirements called for by the Standards to meet the approved use classi-
fications.
Description. The Mississippi River rises in a high, densely timbered region
of northern Minnesota in the vicinity of Lake Itasca and flows in a southerly
direction approximately 2,450 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. That part of the
Mississippi River included in this study is the 660 mile stretch of River
and adjoining bluff areas between Minneapolis and the mouth of the Missouri
River. (See Figure 1 at end of the report)
*
The valley topography bordering this stretch is rugged with steep bluffs
often rising sharply from the river's banks. In some areas, flood plains
along the main stem vary in width up to 10 miles affording excellent alluvial
soils for truck farming.
The Mississippi River has been canalized for navigation by a system of
locks and dams extending from Minneapolis to St. Louis. This system provides
a nine foot navigation channel and a stable series of pools which maintain
relatively uniform water levels during the recreation season.
The largest of these pools is Lake Pepin, above Lock and Dam No. 4..
Lake Pepin was formed above a natural barrier resulting from deposition of
sediment at the confluence of the Chippewa and Mississippi River. The lower
Chippewa carries a heavy sediment load which is deposited upon reaching the
more quiet waters of the Mississippi River.
The stream gradient of the Mississippi River is relatively flat averag-
ing 0.5 feet per mile. The current velocities in the channel will vary
from 1 mile per hour above the Wisconsin River to 2 miles per hour in the
reach below Alton, Illinois, at normal pool stages. At high stages veloci-
ties will increase to 4 miles per hour above the Wisconsin River and to as
high as 8 miles per hour through the reach below Alton, Illinois.
The area considered in the study affords an ample supply of surface
water. In the larger metropolitan areas, industry is highly diversified
with many of the industries heavily dependent on water from the Mississippi
River for manufacturing and processing. Numerous docking facilities
receive a variety of barge-transported raw materials to be manufactured into
various products. Most of the cities serve to support the agricultural
industry as centers for the processing of grain and livestock from the
surrounding area. Barge transportation is also an extremely important
-------
industry along the river, with a continuing increase in traffic.
Background. The basic water quality in the Mississippi River between Minnea-
polis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and St., Louis, Missouri, is determined by the
diverse drainage area from which stream flow is obtained. The drainage area
varies from a region of many lakes above Minneapolis-St.,Paul, Minnesota to
the intensively cultivated agricultural lands of central Iowa. This basic
water quality is modified by waste discha-rges from many municipalities and
a great variety of industries.
The natural water quality in the River is generally good, with some
treatment required for its use as municipal water supply. The hardness of
the Mississippi River is reasonably constant throughout the entire reach of
the study area, usually averaging 175 milligrams per liter (mg/l) with ex-
tremes ranging from 75 to 300 mg/l. Total dissolved solids are below the
recommended maximum limits set by U. S. Public Health Service Drinking
Water Standards with concentrations of 200 mg/l near Keokuk, Iowa, while
chlorides are also well below the recommended maximum limits, averaging
8 mg/l at Keokuk, Iowa.
•
One of the most esthetically displeasing conditions of the Mississippi
River is the high turbidity. The turbidity, attributable to suspended and
colloidal matter, is the result of erosion and natural runoff of the soil
cover and domestic and industrial wastes. Measured in Jackson candle units,
an average turbidity of 35 units is found at Keokuk, Iowa.
The River accommodates about every conceivable water use. These uses
have water quality requirements that vary from the relatively low quality
needed for navigation to the high requirements of public swimming beaches.
Water quality generally meets the minimum requirements for designated
recreational uses except below large urban areas, and the aim of current
pollution abatement programs is to improve water quality so that all desig-
nated water uses can be accommodated in any stream reach.
Institutional arrangements for water pollution control are complex
because the study area involves five States and many industries and munici-
palities. The efforts to abate pollution received great impetus when the
five States submitted water quality standards with a plan for implementing
pollution abatement measures. These water quality standards were required
on all interstate streams by the Federal Water Quality Act of 1965. The
standards also require that discharges from tributary streams not violate
the water quality standards on the main stem, Mississippi River. When
these water quality standards are approved by the Secretary of the Interior,
they become joint Federal-State standards and are enforceable through the
courts for maintaining water quality to accommodate all designated water uses.
-------
II. WATER USES
General. Some water uses, such as navigation, are accommodated throughout
the study area while other water uses, such as public water supplies, are
necessarily limited to specific areas of use. The River is used for recrea-
tion throughout the length covered by th^.s report, although the stream
stretches below major urban areas are generally not suited for total contact
recreational use. Since all natural waters accommodate more than one use,
all general categories of water uses accommodated are discussed. Primary
emphasis however is placed on the two categories of (l) recreation, and (2)
fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife. Recreational water use is further
divided into two important categories. These are a) primary contact (whole
body contact) in which there is prolonged and intimate contact with the
water involving considerable risk of ingesting water (wading and dabbling
by children, swimming and water skiing) and: b) secondary contact (partial
body contact) in which contact with the water is either incidental or ac-
cidental and the probability of ingesting appreciable quantities of water
is minimal (boating and fishing). Because of potential health hazards,
primary contact recreation requires higher bacterial water quality than
secondary contact recreation.
*
Present Water Use. The stream reaches used in discussing water uses are
generally those identified by the State pollution control agencies in set-
ting water quality standards. For each stream reach identified in setting
water quality standards, the general categories of water use which the
stream is expected to accommodate are: (See Figure l)
1.- Anoka. Minnesota, to Upper Lock and Dam at St. Anthony Falls: (l)
Aesthetics. (2) Recreation - primary contact. (3) Recreation - secondary
contact. (4.) Public water supply. (5) Fish, other aquatic life, and wild-
life. (6) Industrial - process. (?) Industrial - cooling. (8) Naviga-
tion and boating.
2.- Upper Lock and Dam at St. Anthony Falls to Minneapolis-St. Paul Sani-
tary District waste treatment plant;(l)Aesthetics.uORecreation -
secondary contact. (3) Fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife. (4) In-
dustrial-process. (5) Industrial - cooling. (6) Navigation and boating.
3.- Minneapolis-St. Paul Sanitary District waste treatment plant to Lock
and Dam Number 2: (1) Aesthetics. (2) Recreation-secondary contact.
(3) Fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife. (4.) Agricultural livestock.
(5) Agricultural - restricted irrigation. (6) Industrial - process. (?)
Industrial - cooling (8) Navigation and boating.
4..- Lock and Dam Number 2 to Read's Landing (Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary
Waters) ; (l) Aesthetics. (2) Recreation - primary contact. (3) Recrea-
tion-secondary contact. (^) Fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife. (5)
Industrial - process. (6) Industrial - cooling. (?) Navigation and
boating.
5.- Read's Landing to Iowa border (Minnesota-Wisconsin boundary waters);
(l) Aesthetics.(2)Recreation - primary contact.(31Recreation-
-------
secondary contact. (4.) Fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife. (5) In-
dustrial - process. (6) Industrial - cooling. {?) Navigation and boating.
6.- Iowa-Minnesota border to Illinois-Wisconsin border (Wisconsin-Iowa
boundary waters): (l) Aesthetics. (2) Recreation-primary contact. (3)
Recreation-secondary contact„ (4-) Fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife.
(5) Industrial - process. (6) Industrial - cooling. (?) Navigation and
boating.
7.- Illinois-Wisconsin border to Missouri - Iowa border (Illinois-Iowa
boundary waters): (l) Aesthetics. (2) Recreation-primary contact. (3)
Recreation-secondary contact. (4.) Public water supply. (5) Fish, other
aquatic life, and wildlife. (6) Industrial-process. (?) Industrial
cooling. (8) Navigation and boating.
8.- Missouri-Iowa border to Alton Lock and Dam Number 26 above the Missouri
River confluence and metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri (Illinois-Missouri)
boundary waters): (l) Aesthetics. (2) Recreation-primary contact. (3)
Recreation-secondary contact. (4.) Public water supply. (5) Fish, other
aquatic life, and wildlife. (6) Agricultural - livestock. (?) Agricul-
tural-irrigation. (8) Industrial-process. (9) Industrial-cooling.
(10) Navigation and boating.
Future Water Use. In the future all of the water use sectors, except the
sector extending from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Sanitary District waste
treatment plant to Lock and Dam Number 2, will be expected to accommodate
the following general categories of water use: primary contact recreation;
good habitat for warir-water fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife; public
water supply; industrial process and cooling; navigation and boating; and
aesthetics.
The sector from the treatment plant to Lock and Dam Number 2 is ex-
pected to accommodate the following general categories of water use:
secondary contact recreation; poor to fair habitat for warm-water fish, other
aquatic life, and wildlife; industrial process and cooling; navigation and
boating; and aesthetics.
The water uses presented for the various sectors of the River represent
interstate agreement on these uses by the concerned adjacent states.
- 4- -
-------
III. , WATER QUALITY
General. Most stream reaches have water quality problems which reduce the
quality .of the recreational experience or prevent all desirable recreational
uses from being accommodated. Two general categories of water quality
problems are encountered. , Those that originate from a large area, such as
stream sediment loads and turbidity; and those that are caused by individual
waste discharges, such as chemicals, oils, phenols, low concentrations of
dissolved oxygen, and harmful bacteria from human and animal origin. Table
1 is a summary of selected water quality parameters on the Mississippi River
at Lock and Dam number 3 below St. .Paul, Minnesota; Dubuque, Iowa; and
Burlington, Iowa.
Much of the drainage area is intensively cultivated agricultural land
and stream sediment loads caused by soil erosion and the resulting turbidity
reduce the quality of the recreational experience. The numerous navigation
dams cause some reduction of sediment loads by sediment deposition in the
pools above the dams. The value of recreational water use in these areas
is thereby increased, although the natural environment for aquatic life is
partially destroyed by the sediment deposits.
Pesticides and fertilizers are widely used on the agricultural lands
in the drainage. , There is increasing concern that concentrations of these
pesticides are harmful to fish and aquatic life, as well as their effect on
the quality of water for public water supplies. Compounds of nitrogen and
phosphorous are applied in large quantities to agricultural lands as ferti-
lizers and are also discharged in municipal and some industrial waste dis-
charges. These nutrients cause excessive growths of algae and other
aquatic plants. Measurements of supersaturated concentrations of dissolved
oxygen show the effects of oxygen production by algae.
Spills of oils and toxic materials from onshore storage and manufac-
turing facilities and river barge traffic are another danger to recreational
and other water uses. A national contingency plan is currently in effect
to reduce the hazard of spills of oils and hazardous materials. Also, the
State water quality standards generally require that onshore facilities for
oil and hazardous materials be located to minimize the pollutional effects of
leaks or spills and that structures, such as entrapment dikes, be installed
to eliminate accidental water pollution.
The water quality parameter of prime importance in recreational water
is bacteria from sources that may contain disease-producing microorganisms.
For recreational use-in which contact is made with the'watery the water
quality standards provide for frequent sanitary surveys and set limits on
bacteria concentrations. For maintenance of warm water fish populations, the
water quality standards generally require a minimum dissolved oxygen concen-
tration of 5.0 mg/1 and a maximum water temperature of about 90 degrees
Fahrenheit. Although cooling water for thermal power generation, industrial
cooling water, and disposal of waste residues are important water uses
throughout the study area, the water quality standards provided for maximum
water temperatures in the receiving stream so that water quality is main-
tained and recreational water uses can be accommodated.
-------
,„__, cvmo 0-3-0
CO
fl
o
•H
-P
CQ cd
£_l J_D
£j (D t-O
j
43
•H
£> K iH
cd PH cd
EH -H CD 3
ftp Gi-
ft cd
•H 13 PH
CQ CD
CQ CM +D
•H O cd
CQ IS
CQ fcj
•HP-IT)
S cd CD
§ -p
s o
3 CD
« rH
(D
-p
^3
,
•H
S-l ^ — *
•H c^i
H H O
cd cd 0 rH
P >j cd"\
O rH O hfl
CD
TJ
•H
y_i
O H
81?
^
rH
Sho
g
•
CD
EHO
\O * * * ^c\ • * •
COOOC^i ^-HrH-^
~4 H c^i H 1 1 1 1
r 1 ' 1 r I
— —
vooom inoH--t oioom
m o m ON rH O co -^-i o -^ c^-
- C~
-^r^rHiH C^irH H H|CV iH
N,
c*^\
%
O
S
CO
Q
TJ
rt
cd
o
o
i ~]
V '
cd
p
o
CQ
CD
rt
Q
'H
*
•
1 1
£3
cd
PH
^j
§
1 1
CD
pQ
f-t
0
>
PH
•H
PL
a
•H
CQ
CQ
•H
ra
CQ
•H
s
^•C^rHCO CVCV£>NO CVONOr°v
cooom NOONi>cv -4-00^-
^tCVrHrH C^iH H rHH H
CO
vO
ON
CO
vO
O O CO ON
CV • • • H
CO ON xt" ON
•^ cv &
hi
O
CH CO C1^ O PH
CO • • • Jl
£>
m
O
ON CO rH H
CO ON O CO cd
— i" 1 — 1 e-3
0
M
•
CD
D
1
ON 0 CQ
• ^H ^j <3^ CQ
O gj
tt S
rH
O O ON ^
NO • • • tjj
m cv -vt t> 2
r^ H O
^r]
P
rH m CV CV
NO ... £>
c^\ o c^- CO m
ON
rH
cd
^D C*~ c^\ S:
-41 • • - o
~ CQ
• r^l )^j o
CO 1> ^f
cv cd in H
rfA rH rH
in co NO
• • *
j>- H C
PJ
c/5
pi
o m
!p CD
H1 § §*
Q 0 CD
PH S W
f. O T~H
d) -H O
M -P >H
>§ CD <1>
e rg
o E
.. CD ^P
d) O S
O ii
PH
P '^~N
o ' — ^
CO ^"^ ^
- 6 -~
-------
In some cases, the water quality below some urban areas is not adequate
for contact reational use on the basis of available data. The following
estimates of where water quality restricts recreational and other water
uses point up where problem areas, especially from discharges of bacteria
and oxygen-consuming organic waste residues, will most likely occur.
Present Water Quality. The general suitablility of the various stream
reaches to accommodate water uses is shown on Figure 1. The major water
quality problems that restrict or reduce the value for specific uses
assigned in the Water Quality Standards, including recreation, are summarized
below for each stream reach.
1.- Anoka, Minnesota, to Upper Lock and Dam at St. /Anthony Falls; Poor
bacterial water quality. Not suitable for primary contact recreation. The
average flow at Anoka, Minnesota, is about 7,100 cubic feet per second (cfs)
and the minimum is about 590 cfs.
2.- Upper Lock and Dam at St. Anthony Falls to Minneapolis-St. Paul Sanitary
District Waste Treatment Plant; Poor bacterial water quality and moderate
increase in turbidity below the confluence with the Minnesota River. Not
suitable for primary contact recreation. This stretch receives waste from
over 80 combined sewer overflows. The Minnesota River carries considerable
sediment load and nearly doubles the turbidity in the Mississippi River
below the confluence.
3.- Minneapolis-St. Paul Sanitary District Waste Treatment Plant to Lock
and Dam Number 2: This 21.1 mile stretch receives waste from Minneapolis-
St. Paul and sixteen smaller sources. Indicators of degraded water quality
include (l) low dissolved oxygen, (2) relatively high concentrations of
ammonia, (3) high bacteria counts, (4) sludge deposits, and (5) tainting of
fish flesh. Carp is the dominant fish species in this reach, with game
fish accounting for 5 to 10 percent of the total fish population. The only
water uses this stretch can easily accommodate are industrial cooling and
navigation. The average flow at St. Paul, Minnesota, is 10,080 cfs and
the minimum about 530 cfs.
4-.- Lock and Dam number 2 to Iowa border (Minnesota-Wiseonsin Boundary Waters)
4(a) Lock and Dam Number 2 to Lock and Dam Number 3: This stretch receives
three relatively small waste discharges, one industrial and two municipal.
Dissolved oxygen concentrations are generally increased by one to two mg/1
when flowing over Lock and Dam number 2. Water quality is also improved
by the St. Croix River which enters the Mississippi River about four miles
below Lock and Dam number 2. Water quality problems include (l) low dis-
solved oxygen, (the dissolved oxygen standard of 5.0 mg/1 is not maintained
above the St. Croix River, although there is less frequent violation of
this standard below the St. Croix), (2) relatively high concentrations of
ammonia, (3) high bacteria counts, although bacterial quality improves
near the end of the stretch at Lock and Dam number 3, and (4) relatively
high algae counts, although they create no major problems. Game fish make
up about 50 percent of the fish population in pool number 3. Industrial
cooling water and navigation are the only water uses that can be easily
-------
accommodated between Lock and Dam number 2 and the St. Croix River. Water
quality improves considerably between the St. Croix River and Lock and Dam
number 3, but it is not suitable for primary contact recreation nor is it
well suited to support a high quality fish population. The average flow
below the confluence with the St. Croix River at Prescott, Wisconsin, is
about 15,300 cfs and the minimum about 1,380 cfs.
4(b) Lock and Dam Number 3 to Chippewa River; This stretch receives waste
from three municipalities (Red Wing, Lake City, and Pepin) and two in-
dustries (Foot Tanning Co. and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co.). Lake Pepin
forms a significant portion of this segment and serves as a settling basin
for suspended solids. Water quality problems include (l) high bacteria
counts, although bacterial water quality improves until it is suitable for
primary body contact recreation below Lake City, and (2) algal blooms in
inshore areas.
Tests on palatability of fish have shown that flavor improves with
downstream distance until about half way through Lake Pepin, then no further
improvement in fish taste is noted with increase in downstream distance.
In this reach, secondary contact recreation can be accommodated above Lake
City, and primary contact recreation can be accommodated below Lake City.
Also, the value of the fishery improves with downstream distance until
about Lake City, then no further improvement is noted.
4(c) Ghippewa River to Iowa Border; Water quality problems include stream
sediment and turbidity and plant nutrients that originate in the upstream
drainage, as well as waste discharges in this stream stretch. Numerous
municipalities located in both Minnesota and Wisconsin presently cause pol-
lution and require additional pollution control measures. These include
separation of combined sewers, secondary waste treatment, and effluent
disinfection. Winona (i960 population 24,895) is the largest municipality
located on the Minnesota side of this stream reach and La Crosse (i960
population 47>575) is the largest on the Wisconsin side. Both are required
to provide secondary waste treatment, separate combined sewers or treat
combined sewer overflows, and disinfect waste effluents. The stream
stretches below these relatively large waste sources will not accommodate
contact recreational use until these abatement improvements are made.
Bacterial contamination is the greatest danger, especially at periods of
low stream flow. The average flow at Winona, Minnesota, is about 24,800
cfs and the minimum is about 2,250 cfs.
5.- Iowa Border to Illinois Border (Wisconsin-Iowa Boundary Waters); There
are no major metropolitan waste sources in this stretch. However, several
municipalities have been required to increase pollution abatement. Three
are located on the Wisconsin side and five on the Iowa side. The largest
municipality on the Wisconsin side is Prairie du Chien (i960 population
5,6-49), where the degree of treatment required was increased from primary
to secondary with effluent disinfection. The largest municipality on the
Iowa side is Guttenburg (i960 population 2,08?), which was required to
provide effluent disinfection. Water quality in this stretch is generally
adequate for all uses. However, the turbidity, sediment, and plant
nutrients carried from the upstream drainage and the discharge of inade-
quately treated waste by some relatively small communities reduce the
-------
recreational water quality. The average flow at McGregor, Iowa, opposite
Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, is about 32,200 cfs and the minimum is about
6,200 cfs.
6.- Illinois Border to Missouri Border (Illinois-Iowa Boundary Waters):
Water quality problems are caused by the turbidity, sediment, and plant
nutrients from the upstream drainage as well as the waste discharges with-
in the stream stretch. Several metropolitan areas are located in this
stream stretch. Many have combined or a combined-separate sewer system
which also collects wastes from some local industries, provide only primary
or plain sedimentation waste treatment, and do not disinfect waste effluents.
In the past, the large stream flows have often been used to assimilate
wastes in lieu of adequate treatment. Although the average flow varies from
about 4.6,900 cfs at Clinton, Iowa, to 61,100 cfs at Keokuk, with minimum
flows of about 5,000 cfs, the general absence of adequate waste treatment
is not conducive to surface waters that accommodate high quality recrea-
tional use. High_bacteria counts from municipal waste discharges are parti-
cularly detrimental since th§ possibility of disease transmission is always
present for anyone coming in contact with such waters. Also, taste and odor
problems in public water supplies occur in this stream stretch.
The large urban areas on the Illinois side with their I960 populations,
extending from north to south, are Savanna (4,950), E. Moline (16,732),
Moline, North Plant (34,100), and Rock Island (51,863), all had combined-
separate sewer systems and provided only primary waste treatment (August,
1968). Effluent disinfection was provided only at the Moline, North Plant.,
The large urban areas on the Iowa side, with their I960 populations,
extending from north to south, are Dubuque (56,606), Clinton (33,589),
Davenport (88,981), Muscatine (20,997), Burlington (33,285), Fort Madison
(15,247), and Keokuk (16,316). Primary sedimentation is the only treatment
provided at all these waste sources, and all have a combined sewer system,
except Burlington, Clinton, and Dubuque which have combination combined-
separate sewer systems.
This stretch is generally suitable for all water uses above major urban
areas, although stream turbidity and the possible bacterial hazard reduce
the value for recreational use. Immediately below urban areas, the stream
should not be used for recreation that involves water contact until all
waste discharges receive secondary treatment with effluent disinfection.
7.- Missouri Border to Alton Lock and Dam Number 26 Above the Missouri River
Confluence (Illinois-Missouri Boundary Waters): In many respects this
stretch is similar to the preceding stretch that extends from the Illinois
border to the Missouri border. Water quality problems are caused by the
turbidity, sediment, plant nutrients, and waste residues from the upstream
drainage as well as waste discharges within the stream stretch. Also, taste
and odor problems in public water supplies occur in this stream stretch.
Stream flows are large. The average stream flow varies from about 61,100
cfs at Keokuk, Iowa, to 93,130 cfs at Alton, Illinois, and minimum flows
vary from about 5,000 cfs at Keokuk to 7,960 cfs at Alton. Past water
management practice used the dilution provided by these large stream flows
-------
in lieu of adequate secondary treatment and effluent disinfection. However,
the quantities of waste discharges are not as large as in the preceding
river stretch.
Seven industries and six municipalities discharge waste on the Missouri
side. Extending from north to south, the municipalities with I960 popula-
tions are Canton (2,562), La Grange (1,347), Hannibal (20,028), Louisiana
(4,286), Clarksville (638), and Portage Des Sioux (371). All reportedly
have separate sewer systems, but Hannibal, Louisiana, and Portage Des Sioux
provide only primary treatment, the other provide no treatment. A large
part of the industrial discharges are cooling water, and the Missouri Water
Pollution Board has determined that no further pollution abatement facilities
are needed for these industrial waste discharges.
Four municipalities discharge waste on the Illinois side. Extending
from north to south, with I960 populations, they are Warsaw (1,938), Quincy
(44,963), Grafton (1,084), and Godfrey (Youngblood) (15,000). Warsaw has
secondary waste treatment; the other municipalities have only primary treat-
ment; none have effluent disinfection. Godfrey has separate sewers. All
industries are required by the Illinois Sanitary Water Board to provide
quality of effluent discharges that maintain water quality standards.
This stretch is generally suitable for all water uses, although stream
turbidity reduces the value for recreational use. Immediately below urban
areas, the stream should not be used for recreation that involves water
contact until all waste discharges receive secondary treatment with effluent
disinfection.
Future Water Quality. A framework water and related land use study of the
Upper Mississippi River Basin, sponsored by the Water Resources Council and
coordinated by the U. S. Army Engineers, is currently nearing completion.
This study lays the base for improved land use practices to reduce the
.sediment, fertilizers, and pesticides carried to surface streams in the run-
off from agricultural lands. Water quality problems resulting from land
use practices are currently being investigated and corrective measures are
being formulated.
Corrective measures for water quality problems caused by specific muni-
cipal and industrial waste discharges are individually stated in the plans
of implementation of the water quality standards which were submitted by
each State in compliance with the Federal Water Quality Act of 1965. Also,
water quality is monitored by a combined Federal-State water quality moni-
toring program. This program provides information on current water quality
and long term trends on changes in water quality and identifies problem
areas where further pollution abatement is required. Thus, after implj.emen-
tation of approved corrective measures, the long term water quality will be
adequate for all legitimate water uses, including recreation. The present
water quality, especially below large urban areas, ,does not meet the long
term goal of water quality that will permit a high quality recreational
experience.
A continuing program of sanitary surveys and surveillance should form
- 10 -
-------
an important part of a recreational plan of development. In the future,
corrective measures will be required so that water quality standards are
maintained and all legitimate water uses in any stream stretch can be ac-
commodated. The water quality standards are not fixed. With continued
advances in the technology of water pollution control, they may be revised
to meet mounting demands for clean water for necessary, desirable uses.
- 11 -
-------
WATER QUALITY AND USES OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM
MISSOURI RIVER TO MINNEAPOLIS
LOCATION MAP
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FEDERAL WATER POLLUTI ON CONTROL ADMINISTRATION
GREAT LAKES REGION CHICAGC.ILLI NO IS
FIGURE t
-------
CATEGORYl SUITABLE FOR NAVIGATION
AND BOATING; INDUSTRIAL PROCESS AND
COOLING; MINIMAL HABITAT FOR WARM-
WATER FISH, OTHER AQUATIC LIFE, AND
WILDLIFE; UNSIGHTLY APPEARANCE AND
REDUCED AESTHETIC VALUE.
CATEGORY2 SUITABLE FOR SECONDARY CONTACT
RECREATION; POOR TO FAIR HABITAT FOR WARM-
WATER FISH, OTHER AQUATIC LIFE, AND WILD-
LIFE; PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES WITH APPROP-
RIATE TREATMENT; INDUSTRIAL PROCESS AND
COOLING; NAVIGATION AND BOATING; AND AESTHETICS.
CATEGORY3 SUITABlF FOR PRIMARY CONTACT
RECREATION; GOOD HABITAT FOR WARM-WATER
FISH, OTHER AOyATIC LIFE, AND WILDLIFE;
PUBL-IC WATER SUPPLIES WITH APPROPRIATE
TREATMENT; INDUSTRIAL PROCESS AND COOLING;
NAVIGATION AND BOATING; AND AESTHETICS.
NOTE: IN THE FUTURE ALL WATER USE SEC-
TORS WILL HAVE WATER QUALITY IN CATEGORY
3, EXCEPT THE WATER CJSE SECTOR WHICH
EXTENDS FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL
SANITARY DlSTRICT" WASTE TREATMENT PLANT
TO LOCK AND DAM -NUMBER 2, WHERE THE
QUALITY WILL BE INCREASED TO ACCOM- •
MODATE ALL OF THE WATER USES IN
CATEGORY 2 EXCEPT THE PUBLIC
WATER SUPPLY USAGE.
SH££T2o/2
ILL
LEGEND
STATE LINES
WATERSHED BOUNDARIES
MUNICIPALITY
STREAM STRETCH USED
TO DESIGNATE WATER
USES AND SET WATER
QUALITY STANDARDS.
FIGURE 1 (CON'T)
------- |