By — Miles O'Brien Miles O'Brien By — Kate Tobin Kate Tobin By — Yasmeen Sami Alamiri Yasmeen Sami Alamiri Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-tipping-point-the-mighty-mississippi-a-pbs-news-special Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Tipping Point – The Mighty Mississippi | A PBS News Special Nation Updated on Jul 15, 2025 10:09 AM EDT — Published on Jul 15, 2025 9:14 AM EDT The Mississippi River, North America’s largest river system, is under threat. Air and water pollution, downstream flooding and coastal land loss are among the environmental pressures that are putting the health and future of the waterway — and the communities that depend on it — at risk. We want to hear from you: Give us feedback on our science coverage. PBS News’ Miles O’Brien will host a live conversation July 16 about these threats and emerging solutions, joined by a series of experts and academics at the University of Minnesota’s historic Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. Watch the event starting at 7 p.m. EDT July 16 in the player above. The river, which stretches 2,340 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, provides drinking water to more than 18 million people and discharges more than half a million cubic feet of water per second into the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 500 million tons of cargo, valued at nearly $100 billion, are transported on the river each year. We’re looking for your questions. Submit them here; we may answer them during the special. Find more of PBS News’ climate coverage here. Support PBS News Hour Safeguard the independent, trusted journalism millions rely on at PBS News Hour. Donate now By — Miles O'Brien Miles O'Brien Miles O’Brien is a veteran, independent journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace. @milesobrien By — Kate Tobin Kate Tobin By — Yasmeen Sami Alamiri Yasmeen Sami Alamiri Yasmeen Sami Alamiri is the Senior Editor for video and special projects at the PBS NewsHour.
The Mississippi River, North America’s largest river system, is under threat. Air and water pollution, downstream flooding and coastal land loss are among the environmental pressures that are putting the health and future of the waterway — and the communities that depend on it — at risk. We want to hear from you: Give us feedback on our science coverage. PBS News’ Miles O’Brien will host a live conversation July 16 about these threats and emerging solutions, joined by a series of experts and academics at the University of Minnesota’s historic Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. Watch the event starting at 7 p.m. EDT July 16 in the player above. The river, which stretches 2,340 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, provides drinking water to more than 18 million people and discharges more than half a million cubic feet of water per second into the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 500 million tons of cargo, valued at nearly $100 billion, are transported on the river each year. We’re looking for your questions. Submit them here; we may answer them during the special. Find more of PBS News’ climate coverage here. Support PBS News Hour Safeguard the independent, trusted journalism millions rely on at PBS News Hour. Donate now