US Department of Agriculture to fund Mississippi River Watershed Initiative

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will provide $8.5m in financial assistance to states in the Mississippi River Basin under its Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI).

The money will support about 23 projects that seek to avoid, control and trap sediment and nutrient runoff from agricultural lands, improving water quality in the Mississippi River Basin.

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the USDA is continuing to build on its Mississippi River initiatives from previous years by focusing on conservation practices in priority watersheds to improve water quality in the basin.

"USDA is committed to working cooperatively with agricultural producers, partner organisations and state and local agencies to improve water quality and the quality of life for the millions of people who live in the Mississippi River Basin," Vilsack added.

MRBI helps agriculture producers take mitigating measures to control, prevent and trap nutrient runoff from agricultural land into the river.

The initiative was launched in 2009 and provides financial assistance to voluntary projects in watershed areas of Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Earlier this year it granted nearly $64m financial assistance to support the 95 existing MRBI projects first funded in 2010 and 2011.

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Image: Over 20 projects in the Mississippi River Basin will receive $8.5m USDA funding.