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THE EBB and FLOW of POLICY, ECONOMICS, and SCIENCE: an ANALYSIS of POLICY DRIVERS in the MISSOURI RIVER BASIN a THESIS in Enviro

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THE EBB and FLOW of POLICY, ECONOMICS, and SCIENCE: an ANALYSIS of POLICY DRIVERS in the MISSOURI RIVER BASIN a THESIS in Enviro THE EBB AND FLOW OF POLICY, ECONOMICS, AND SCIENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY DRIVERS IN THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN A THESIS IN Environmental and Urban Geosciences Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE by Kelly A. Thompson B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000 Kansas City, Missouri 2013 ii THE EBB AND FLOW OF POLICY, ECONOMICS, AND SCIENCE: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY DRIVERS IN THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN Kelly A. Thompson, Candidate for the Master of Science Degree University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2013 ABSTRACT The Missouri River basin underwent a major transformation when the United States Congress approved the Flood Control Act of 1944 and the Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project of 1945. Generations removed from those national policy decisions, the long-term effects are now quantifiable. The Missouri River basin contains a degraded ecosystem, power imbalances among stakeholders, and a conflicting set of management parameters. Using a political ecology approach, this research deconstructs the drivers of river management policy from 1803 to 2013, to understand the connections between economics and policy, the impact on the development of the basin, and consequences for the ecological health of the Missouri River. iii APPROVAL PAGE The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, have examined a thesis titled, “The Ebb and Flow of Policy, Economics, and Science: An Analysis of Policy Drivers In the Missouri River Basin”, presented by Kelly A. Thompson, candidate for the Master of Science degree, and certify that their opinion is worthy of acceptance. Supervisory Committee Caroline Davies, Ph.D., Committee Chair Department of Geosciences Jejung Lee, Ph.D. Department of Geosciences John W. Ragsdale, Jr., S.J.D. School of Law iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Basin ........................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Geographic Approach: Political Ecology ........................................................ 14 2 RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT ........................................................................ 17 2.1 Streamflow ...................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Adaptive Management ..................................................................................... 32 3 LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK .............................................................. 42 3.1 Federal Development of the Basin, 1803-1930 ............................................... 42 3.2 Federal Regulation of Flow, 1930-Present ...................................................... 46 3.3 The Paradox of Water Allocation .................................................................... 48 3.4 Water & Environmental Quality ..................................................................... 50 3.5 Current Legal Issues ........................................................................................ 53 4 ECONOMIC REVIEW OF THE BASIN ............................................................. 60 4.1 Value of Natural Resources ............................................................................. 60 4.2 Economic Drivers ............................................................................................ 64 5 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................ 73 v 5.1 Application of Political Ecology ..................................................................... 73 5.2 Key Stakeholders ............................................................................................. 74 5.2 Drivers of Policy .............................................................................................. 75 5.2 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 75 Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 79 A. Public Perception Statistical Analysis .............................................................. 79 B. Peak Steamflow Graphs for Selected Sites ....................................................... 83 C. Major Hydrological Events & Policies Impacting the Basin ............................ 92 References ........................................................................................................................ 97 VITA ............................................................................................................................. 107 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. The Missouri River basin ............................................................................................. 9 2. Average precipitation levels in the United States ....................................................... 11 3. Population distribution in the Missouri River basin ................................................... 14 4. Fort Peck dam in Fort Peck, Montana ........................................................................ 22 5. Garrison dam in Garrison, North Dakota ................................................................... 23 6. Oahe dam in Pierre, South Dakota ............................................................................. 24 7. Big Bend dam in Fort Thompson, South Dakota ....................................................... 25 8. Fort Randall dam in Pickstown, South Dakota .......................................................... 26 9. Gavins Point dam in Yankton, South Dakota ............................................................. 27 10. Narrowing and channelization process ....................................................................... 29 11. Diagram of coordination under Missouri River Ecosystem Restoration Plan .......... 35 12. Spatial distribution of Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee .......... 40 13. Profile of the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system .......................................... 54 14. The Northwest Area Water Supply Project proposed areas of use ............................. 55 15. A biophysical perspective on water ............................................................................ 63 16. Steamboat traffic in the Dakota region of the Missouri River ................................... 66 17. Pumping barge in the Missouri River ......................................................................... 68 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Summary of engineering data for the Missouri River mainstem reservoirs .......... 20 2. Missouri River rankings on America’s Most Endangered Rivers list ................... 30 3. Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee Members, 2013 ............... 36 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with gratitude to many people that I complete my research and present this thesis. I would first like to thank my 3-year old daughter, Lola. She began this journey with me and helped me understand the value of time, my place on the continuum, and the significance of my research. It is a cliché but it does take a village to raise a child especially when that child’s mom is pursuing a graduate degree. To the entire village I say thank you. To my husband, Ross, I thank you for your patience, your grace under the pressure of a crying 2-month old while I attended class, and most importantly your ability to find words of encouragement for me in my most fragile of times. To my sister, your time caring for Lola while I pursued my research is invaluable and I will be forever grateful. To my mom, words never seem enough to express the gratitude for providing encouragement at every step of the way. To my dad, thank you for being there in some of the most helpful of times. To my advisor, Dr. Caroline Davies, I appreciate the freedom you gave me to pursue my research and the confidence you showed in me to pursue it. You granted me great latitude. As a former journalist, I say thank you for the many names and sources you offered – that is gold in my world. To Dr. Julie Urbanik, I thank you for being a dedicated professor who took the time to share your academic experience and help me find my scholarly voice. To Dr. Jejung Lee and Dr. John Ragsdale, thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience, and time to provide me with the background for the multi- disciplinary approach to my research. ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Overview The use and value of the United States’ river basins change over time. The Missouri River basin provides no exception. Spanning 529,350 square miles of the central Great Plains, the Missouri River basin is the largest watershed in the United States. Its stretch over one-sixth
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