Grantee Research Project Results
2023 Progress Report: Investigating the distribution and value of water quality benefits along the Mississippi River
EPA Grant Number: R840464Title: Investigating the distribution and value of water quality benefits along the Mississippi River
Investigators: Keeler, Bonnie L , Lupi, Frank , Wood, Spencer
Institution: University of Minnesota , University of Washington , Michigan State University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through May 12, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2022 through August 31,2023
Project Amount: $742,000
RFA: Water Quality Benefits (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Quality , Water
Objective:
This project investigates the value and distribution of water-related ecosystem services along the Mississippi River corridor, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. An overarching goal of the project is to understand how values for water-related ecosystem services vary across socioeconomic and biophysical gradients, and how these insights can be translated into environmental policy and planning.
Progress Summary:
In the first year of the grant, the project team has advanced work across all project objectives. The team hired key staff, reviewed relevant literature, identified and contacted project partners, established shared work plans and goals, developed project reporting and quality assurance protocols, and began qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Qualitative data on Mississippi River values, threats, and uses
We obtained over 600 first person interviews conducted as part of past Mississippi River expeditions. Interviews were transcribed and coded using qualitative analysis software. We developed a coding scheme to identify mentions of perceived threats, river uses, and perceptions of water quality. We mapped results of the qualitative data to nine defined regions of the Mississippi River and harmonized these regions with administrative boundaries to visualize social and demographic data.
Environmental justice tours and site visits
We completed the first of three site visits to Mississippi River communities. In November of 2022, we visited Memphis, TN and met with community organizers and environmental justice leaders to learn about threats, concerns, and desired futures for their communities. We visited Mississippi River sites used as parks and recreational amenities and identified locations for future geospatial mapping and deployment of site-based surveys. Insights from the site visits were used to inform geospatial mapping tasks and future design of the stated preference instrument.
Community science and chatbot surveys
We developed the architecture and software to deploy SMS-based surveys using stationary chatbots at identified locations along the Mississippi River. We contacted potential project partners and landowners at River locations and secured permission to install recruitment signage. We co-developed sign designs with partners and developed a prototype survey. We are in the process of securing final approval to deploy surveys following IRB review by the University of Minnesota.
Social media analysis
We obtained over 1.2M tweets from the platform X (formerly Twitter) that reference the Mississippi River, using the keyword(s) "mississippi river", "mississippiriver", or "#mississippiriver", and stored tweets on a secured server for future analysis.
Literature review and stated preference survey
We reviewed existing non-market valuation studies that relate to the Mississippi River and summarized insights in an annotated bibliography. We also obtained existing stated preference instruments used to value changes in water quality and reviewed survey design, scenarios, and question format. Design of the survey will occur in 2024.
Geospatial data collection and visualization
We established a server to host geospatial data for the 246 counties and parishes that border the Mississippi River. We collected and visualized data on water quality (nutrients, toxins), air quality, socio-demographic data (race, income, education), land use, flood risk, and other spatial data of interest. We created custom maps for specific regions based on community requests and distributed maps to project partners.
Future Activities:
1. Environmental justice tours and site visits to St. Louis, MO and New Orleans, LA;
2. Analysis and dissemination of qualitative data from coded interviews;
3. Analysis of keywords from Mississippi River-related social media collected in 2023;
4. Deployment of chatbot signage at identified Mississippi River locations;
5. Preliminary analysis and reporting of results from chatbot surveys;
6. Further development of a geospatial database of social and environmental variables along the Mississippi River corridor;
7. Design and pilot of stated preference survey.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 7 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Valuation, water quality, environmental toxins, environmental justice, Mississippi River, climate change, flooding, recreation, social media, community science, interviews.Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.