BETTENDORF, Iowa — Last week, some mayors in the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) started signing support for a Mississippi River Basin Compact. The advocates believe a joint governance will allow them to attract federal funding and improve water quality.
"It'd be an agreement that the states come to that then gets passed by Congress for how we're going to work on the things in the river that concern all of us," Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the interstate water compact would be similar to the Colorado River Basin Compact, but will focus on different issues. He said his motivation to form the pact stems from two buckets.
"One of the big reasons is for an additional arm of appropriations through the United States Congress for some of the security and resiliency things that we're trying to do along the Mississippi River," he said.
Lock and dam updates, droughts and flooding are at the top of Gallagher's list of concerns.
"Making the river more resilient. And adapting to the climate changes that we're experiencing is very important to those of us on the river," he said.
"That's one of the initiatives, is to have that equity between those other rivers that are contributing to the commerce of the United States (that) have that pool of funding," Clinton Mayor Scott Maddasion said. "So we can do those great things to make sure the Mississippi is the best it can be."
Maddasion said he knows the river is important for commerce, recreation and the area's history. "I mean, our cities were founded on lumber and bringing logs down the river," he said.
Gallagher, although ambitious, said it's still the beginning of the process.
"This heavy lift is gonna take some time," he said.
The advocates plan to unveil their signatures to members of Congress at meetings in March. They plan to lobby members of the Mississippi River Caucus.
"I do think it is a protection layer," he said. "If we can control what's happening on the river through an act of Congress, that gives us a lot better opportunity to be able to preserve what's here in our river basin for those who live here."