These unsung shellfish help protect the drinking water for half a million Minnesotans
A unique human-mollusk partnership at the Minneapolis Public Works water treatment plant provides early alerts on pollution.
Stories
The Ag & Water Desk reports on topics like agriculture, climate, water, pollution, solutions and more across the Mississippi River Basin. We focus on the resources that communities depend on every day. And we dig into the ways that policy and land use changes, such as the rapid expansion of data centers, affect people and wildlife. We also produce data journalism that helps illustrate the scope of these issues and turns complex data sets into accessible information.
260 articles
These unsung shellfish help protect the drinking water for half a million Minnesotans
A unique human-mollusk partnership at the Minneapolis Public Works water treatment plant provides early alerts on pollution.
These artists are honoring the Mississippi River Basin one piece of glass at a time
Two artists have built over 400 temporary glass sculptures in the basin, highlighting hidden connections between its rivers and streams.
SpaceX ‘pinky promises’ no bad impacts for Louisiana locals — then forced to backtrack
In a tense meeting, SpaceX managers told locals the massive spaceport won’t affect them at all. Then locals pressed for specifics.
Aging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high
A federal program promises to pay for farmland preservation. Few landowners are taking advantage.
Researchers, patients optimistic in fight against alpha-gal syndrome
A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Far offshore, scientists find fresh evidence of human harm to reefs
The Gulf’s Flower Garden Banks has been viewed as healthy, but a new study shows signs of damage.
Mississippi River mayors help cities navigate rising data center interest
More than three-quarters of member cities in a Mississippi River coalition have been approached to host AI infrastructure.
Inside the private deal between Amazon and one town’s water system
The tech giant promises Ridgeland, Mississippi, its massive data center won’t strain water supplies. But an exclusive look at their agreement shows there are few guarantees.
As data centers expand, advocates call for regulations on lights
The Midwest has more than 600 data centers, with hundreds in development. Light pollution rules would protect migrating birds and nighttime pollinators.
Alpha-gal syndrome is spreading rapidly. Arkansas may hold clues to why it’s spreading, how it functions — and what comes next.
Diagnoses of the severe, tick-borne allergy are rising throughout the basin. The frontlines of the disease offer lessons.
After decades of overhunting and habitat loss, black bears are slowly recolonizing the lower Mississippi River Basin
The Mississippi Alluvial Valley was once the ‘breadbasket’ of black bears
Whooping cranes are on the cusp of a comeback story. Could a Trump policy change the ending?
A program in Louisiana aims to be a model for endangered species preservation as protections for habitats are scaled back.