Can you swim in the Mississippi river?

Stretches of the Mississippi River within the park corridor exceed water quality standards for mercury, bacteria, sediment, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), and nutrients. Unfortunately, these impairments can make the water unsuitable for fishing, swimming, and drinking.



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The Mississippi River Currents are Powerful For example, one of this river's strongest flow rates is near New Orleans at 600,000 cubic feet per second. That's an incredible amount of strong water flow that could quickly kill a swimmer and destroy a small boat.

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St. Paul — The Mississippi River remains a healthy, clean stream for much of the way down to about St. Cloud, the river's most pristine stretch on its 2,320-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Answer and Explanation: The deepest river in the United States is the Hudson River, which reaches 200 feet deep at some points. The St. Lawrence River, which runs through parts of the U.S., is slightly deeper with a maximum depth of 250 feet, but mostly flows along the border of the U.S. and into Canada.

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The cleanest river in the United States is the Chattahoochee River. This river starts in the mountains of north Georgia and flows through the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Chattahoochee is one of the few rivers in the country that is still safe to swim in and fish in.

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Many popular kinds of fish including bass, bream, crappie, freshwater drum, and small catfish (less that22 inches in length) are SAFE to eat. Farm-raised catfish are SAFE to eat.

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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is working with a number of partners to get the water to fishable and swimmable conditions. (Thanks to the great work of public utilities, treated drinking water from the Mississippi is safe and delicious!)

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Although none of the rivers in the U.S. rank among the most polluted in the world, the Ohio River continues to top the list as the most polluted river in the U.S. based on toxic releases from the industrial sector. However, many other U.S. rivers are also experiencing similar environmental hazards from toxic materials.

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