# data[].attributes.body
The Missouri River begins in the Eastern Centennial Mountains of Southwestern Montana then trails East and South before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. Major rivers and tributaries of the Missouri River Basin include:
- Yellowstone River
- Niobrara River
- Little Missouri River
- Milk River
- Platte River
- James River

# data[].attributes.body
The Missouri River is the longest and second biggest river in the United States. Reaching 2,341 miles in length and 529,300 square miles in volume.

# data[].attributes.body
The Missouri River crosses 25 Native American Tribal Reservations and Lands. Around 1500 the Missouri River was home to 20 Native American tribes that belonged to 4 different linguistic groups (Algonkian, Caddoan, Siouian, and Shoshonean). In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase had put the Missouri River Basin into Federal ownership. This created many conflicts with Native Americans. Now around 86% of the Missouri River belongs to private interests, countries, states, or Native American Tribes.

# data[].attributes.body
Around one half of the Missouri River gets more than 41cm/yr of precipitation, 70% of this comes from rainfall. For most of its length in the Great Plains and Central Lowland provinces, the average annual precipitation ranges from 36-104cm/yr. The lowest precipitation is about -1.7cm in January and February while the highest is in June, 8cm.

# data[].attributes.body
The NCA (4th National Climate Assessment) stated that there could be a 8-10% increase in precipitation by mid-century and a 10-16% increase by the late-century in the Great Plains. For majority of the basin there is an expected increase in precipitation during fall, winter and largely in spring but a decrease during the winter.

# data[].attributes.body
Characteristics that are the greatest concerns are chemicals and temperature. High concentrations of metals such as Arsenic and Selenium have been found. Due to changes in land use, increased urbanization, atmospheric deposition of pollutants and dam construction these water quality characteristics are often changing.

# data[].attributes.body
About 12 million people are reliant on the Missouri River. Many people in surrounding areas rely on the river as a water source, for transportation and irrigation. The river also helps feed many people through fishing and because it is a water source for many animals as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Almost 109 million acres of the surrounding land is used for agricultural. The basin is expected to increase in agricultural demands due to the temperature increasing. Groundwater irrigation in the Niobrara River, a tributary of the Missouri River located in Nebraska, accounts for about 83% of the 600,000 acres of irrigated land. The other 17% relies on surface water availability.

# data[].attributes.body
Many recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and camping , is a big source of income for the river. About $87 million is made for annual benefits.

# data[].attributes.body
Many sources of pollution are impacting the river and putting animals and humans who use the water in danger. Over 11,000 pounds of pollution has been dumped into the river. Pollution in the river mostly comes from agricultural nutrients, construction, and waste dumps. 21,750 acres as well as connecting streams were impaired by mercury. This puts many people at risk of mercury poisoning when fish can absorb this mercury and be consumed by humans and other animals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Wednesday marks 300 days since Plattsmouth's wastewater treatment plant has been out of commission due to the flood. Since then, it has been dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Missouri River.

According to the town’s city supervisor Erv Portis, one million gallons of untreated sewage has been flowing into the river every day, since the plant went offline on March 14; meaning 300 million gallons of raw sewage has been dumped so far and it’s not ending anytime soon.

The state has been working with the town to get the plant back up and running, but that's still at least five months away.

“Even if they're doing their best, the level of pollution going into that river is alarming,” said John Rumpler, he is the Clean Water Program Director at Environment America.

“Unquestionably we should be testing the water downstream and working as quickly as possible to end this pollution at the source,” said Rumpler.

6 News made dozens of phone calls and was passed from one agency to the next, trying to get an answer: .is anyone taking extra measures to test the Missouri?

Eventually, we received an answer in an email from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, reading in part: “No. We have not changed our sampling related to this specific situation.”

“This is public health matter as pathogens in sewage can make people sick,” said Rumpler. “Whether that is people swimming in the Missouri River, fishing in the Missouri River, people coming into contact in other ways, we simply don't have the data if the water isn't tested.”

The Department of Environment and Energy said they have a couple of sampling sites downstream including at Nebraska City, which is about 25 miles south. But the department said the water would be too diluted that far downstream to show any impact.

At this point, unless changes are made to the way the Missouri River is tested we may never know the true impact of hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage being poured into one of the country’s largest rivers.

It’s important to note, the town of Plattsmouth has the go-ahead to bypass its wastewater treatment plant. According to the Department of Environment and Energy, state rules and regulations allow for emergency discharge when discharges are unavoidable.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Raw sewage dumped into Missouri River; concerned officials push for testing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Wednesday marks 300 days since Plattsmouth’s wastewater treatment plant has been out of commission due to the flood. Since then, it has been dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Missouri Rive

# data[].attributes.body
Due to pollution in the river the amount of fish available for fisherman have decreased. As a result, there has also been a decrease in commercial fishing harvests by 80%.

# data[].attributes.body
The U.S. Supreme Courts decisions on which waterways are able to gain protection puts 66% of Missouri's streams at risk of losing protection from the Clean Water Act. Over 2.5 Missouri residents rely on these streams for drinking water.

# data[].attributes.body
51 of the 67 specifies of fish located in the Missouri river are considered rare, uncommon, or decreasing. The Missouri River contains 4 species that have been federally listed under the Endangered species Act. These species are the Pallid Sturgeon, Least Tern, Piping Plover, and the Scaleshell Mussel. Through land use changes, levee building, and channelization, almost 3 million acres of its riparian and floodplain habitats have been altered. These species are in more danger due to modifications and operations of the river, that is heavily dammed and channelized.

# data[].attributes.body
Due to climate change, aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, lakes, streams and rivers, will be highly impacted. High precipitation will lead to an increase runoff of sediments, fertilizers, and pesticides into the river. Drought and heat wave frequency as well as an increase in demand for water will create lower streamflows, an increase in stream segments being de-watered and wetlands drying up. Climate change will increase runoff as well and due to this it is expected that there will be an increase of contaminant loads to surface waters.

# data[].attributes.body
The source of majority of the water runoff to the Missouri River comes from snowpack. Due to increasing temperatures it is expected that there will be a large decrease in peak snowpack. The eastern portion of the basin experiences 2 inches of annual runoff whereas the western portion receives 1 inch annually. Projected changes indicate an increase in runoff from 11-15%

# data[].attributes.body
There are a total of 23 hydroelectric powerplants across the Missouri River Basin. Many of these not only provide hydroelectric power but the dams associated with the powerplants provide flood control.

# data[].attributes.body
The Missouri River is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although the river is owned by the government there are still many systems such as the dams along the river and recreation managements that are taken care of by other organizations and partners.

# data[].attributes.body
The National Drought Resilience Partnership and Reclamations Drought planning processes are working to build drought resilience capacity. This will be done through preparing stakeholders for drought while still preserving cultural and ecological values. 8 Watersheds in the Missouri River headwaters are working together to train community coordinators to lead planning, mitigation and project implementations.

# data[].attributes.headline
Solution 2: The Big River Clean Up and Restoration Effort

# data[].attributes.subject
Solution 2: The Big River Clean Up and Restoration Effort

# data[].attributes.body
The Big River Clean Up and Restoration Effort is a group of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations that are working to restore the Missouri River. This coalition informs, educates, and involves communities with prevention and restoration strategies. They remove build up behind dams and structures, restore vegetation along the riverbank, stabilize eroding riverbanks, help restore decreasing species, and address contaminated yard soil.

# data[].attributes.body
In order to reduce pollution, the Missouri River depends on the protection from the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Acts is a federal law that aims to protect against water pollution. The Supreme Court had repealed the Clean Water Act in a 5-4 decision. The new rule has reduced the role of states and tribes. Supreme Court decisions have put not just the Missouri River but many other streams and wetlands open to unlimited pollution. Environment Missouri has already called EPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, to guarantee the restoration of the Clean Water Act.

# data[].attributes.body
Sources
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Galat/publication/279429114_Missouri_River_Basin/links/5cb1417f92851c8d22e7b1c8/Missouri-River-Basin.pdf
- https://www.usbr.gov/climate/secure/docs/2021secure/basinreports/MissouriBasin.pdf
- https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaterspartners/big-river-clean-and-restoration-effort-missouri
- https://environmentmissouri.org/sites/environment/files/reports/Top_Ten_Frightening_-Facts_About_the_-Missouri_River_2010.pdf
- https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/learn/nature/endangered-species-on-the-missouri-national-recreational-river.htm#:~:text=The%20Missouri%20National%20Recreational%20River%20has%20four%20species%20that%20are,piping%20plover%20and%20scaleshell%20mussel.

# data[].attributes.body
Picture 1 - https://www.usd.edu/-/media/Project/USD/DotEdu/Academics/Colleges-and-Schools/Arts-and-Sciences/Missouri-River-Institute-at-USD/PH-MissouriRiver2013_035.jpg?rev=e5f422eb7b954cef997bf030f9ab86c5&w=1900&la=en&hash=F70E69EBEB87ABC6BEE8DB691B7874AC

Picture 2 River Map - http://www.americanrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Map_Missouri-River_wikimedia.jpg

Picture 3 Tribes - https://sites.google.com/a/pcsd.us/river-horse/_/rsrc/1328837226912/home/the-lower-missouri-river/history-of-the-lower-missouri/Screen%20Shot%202012-02-09%20at%204.26.39%20PM.png?height=233&width=320

Youtube Video - https://youtu.be/FGluaa3zFkw

# data[].attributes.body
Photo 4 Precipitation - https://i0.wp.com/theconstructor.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/61FsntDBtlL._SL1200_.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1

Photo 5 Changes in Precipitation - https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/08/24/us/warmer-wetter-world-promo-1629833089515/warmer-wetter-world-promo-1629833089515-jumbo.jpg

Photo 6 Water Quality - https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/cFl8rh4jBtg6nGDQgdb2k-2zS38=/2912x1638/smart/filters:no_upscale()/GettyImages-184957763-25bd535075fa4891bbd52a57a1e6cb0c.jpg

Photo 7 Who Relies On The River - https://www.dakota-pheasant-hunting.com/uploads/photos/xavndhx02uzpbgejvws9.jpg

Photo 8 Agriculture - https://chapelboro.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Irrigation.jpg

# data[].attributes.body
Photo 9 Recreation - https://trailadventures.com/content/files/uploads/2016/01/Missouri-River-Canoeing.jpg

Pollution Website Link - https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Hundreds-of-millions-of-raw-sewage-dumped-into-Missouri-River-amidst-calls-for-testing-566827971.html

Photo 10 Fish Pollution - https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/07/23/science/23TROUT-MONTANA8/23TROUT-MONTANA8-superJumbo.jpg

Photo 11 Political Issues - https://www.southernenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CWA_permit_request_bar_graph_1660_1064_75_s-1.jpeg

Photo 12 Endangered Species - https://platteriverprogram.org/sites/default/files/styles/species_rep_image_full/public/species-rep-images/sturgeon_0.jpeg?h=e89f2536&itok=UjPuML-r

Photo 13 Climate Change - https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8aaa665/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1248+0+0/resize/1486x906!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F05%2F0b%2F4ad7541fb9895371fd4acf024e24%2Fla-apphoto-oil-boom-photo-gallery-jpg-20140816

# data[].attributes.body
Photo 14 Hydropower - https://images.renewableenergyworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/5721-pumped-storage.jpeg

Photo 15 Management - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/US-ArmyCorpsOfEngineers-Seal.svg/1200px-US-ArmyCorpsOfEngineers-Seal.svg.png

Photo 16 Drought - https://www.ecowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/684543591-origin.jpg

Photo 17 Big River Clean Up - https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/2019-06/big_river_clean-up_logo.jpg?itok=c4W2_xhG

Photo 18 Clean Water Act - https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/portals/39/siteimages/Interagency/imagesCASY0XAC.jpg