Grantee Research Project Results
2024 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, 2023 through August 31,2024
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 second year of the grant, the project team has advanced work across all project objectives and advanced 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 final two of three site visits to Mississippi River communities. We visited St. Louis, MO in October 2023 and Baton Rouge to New Orleans, LA in April 2024; we 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 gained a better understanding of different communities’ relationships with the river. 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 deployed 148 chatbots in the upper Mississippi River Basin and are continuing to coordinate with partners in the lower Mississippi River. We co-developed sign designs with partners and incorporated partner questions as part of the survey.
Social media analysis
We obtained obtained over 1.2M tweets from Twitter (before it became X) that reference the Mississippi River, using the keyword(s) "mississippi river", "mississippiriver", or "#mississippiriver", and stored tweets on a secured server for future analysis. These tweets will be coded and included in the qualitative data 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 continue into 2025.
Geospatial data collection and visualization
We established a server to host geospatial data for the 126 counties and parishes that directly 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. We are exploring ways to use data connected with Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators for facilities within our study area, looking specifically at estimating disparities in the distribution of water releases and creating new geographic data layers that will facilitate analysis of exposure across social and demographic characteristics.
Future Activities:
Year three project activities include:
1. Analysis and dissemination of qualitative data from coded interviews;
2. Analysis of keywords from Mississippi River-related social media collected in 2023;
3. Deployment of chatbot signage at identified Mississippi River locations;
4. Preliminary analysis and reporting of results from chatbot surveys;
5. Further development of a geospatial database of social and environmental variables along the Mississippi River corridor;
6. Analysis of RSEI toxic release data and assessment of the distribution of water pollution by race, ethnicity, and income across the corridor.
7. Design and pilot of stated preference survey.
References:
Keeler, B. Valuing the Mississippi River: Communities, contaminants, and implications for environmental investments. Event: Thinking Spatially. Institute for Advanced Studies. University of Minnesota. (October 11, 2024).
Keeler, B. Assessing environmental disparities in regulatory review. Social Cost of Water Workshop. Environmental Protection Agency. Washington, DC. (October 3-4, 2024).
Keeler, B. Investigating the Distribution and Value of Water Quality Benefits Along the Mississippi River. University Council On Water Resources (UCOWR) Annual Meeting. St. Louis, MO (October 1, 2024).
Keeler, B. Investigating the Distribution and Value of Water Quality Benefits Along the Mississippi River. AGU WaterSciCon St. Paul, MN (June 24-27th, 2024).
Keeler, B. Data in Support of Decision Making: Focus on the Mississippi River. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Mississippi River Basin Legislative Cohort. St. Paul, MN (June 6-7th, 2024).
Keeler, B. Water Science and Policy: A Mississippi River Case. Water Resources Engineering. Student invited seminar speaker. University of Wisconsin, Madison. (October 26, 2023).
Keeler, B. and Warren, N. Mississippi River Values. Presentation to Environmental Justice event hosted in St. Louis, Missouri. (October 24, 2023)
Keeler, B. Equity v. Efficiency in Environmental Policy: A Mississippi River Case. Social Cost of Water Pollution Workshop, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C. (October 12, 2023)
Keeler, B. Equity v. Efficiency: Cases in Environmental Policy. University of California, Davis, Departmental Seminar (October 5, 2023)
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, climatechange, flooding, recreation, social media, community science, interviews.
Relevant Websites:
Landing page for chatbot survey takers Exit
Map to visualize different data sets along with the locations of this project’s chatbots Exit
Short summary of October 2023 research trip to St. Louis Exit
Short summary of April 2024 research trip to Louisiana Exit
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.