; purpose (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The Mississippi River flows more than 2,300 miles from its source at Lake Itasca through the center of the continental United States to the Gulf of Mexico. (2) The main stem of the Mississippi River flows through 10 States that collectively are home to 55.4 million people as of 2019. (3) The Mississippi River provides drinking water to more than 20 million people in 50 cities. (4) The Mississippi River drives a vibrant natural resource and recreation-based economy that generates nearly $500 billion in annual revenue and directly employs more than 1.5 million people. (5) The Mississippi River and its 30 million acre floodplain provide an ecological lifeline for all of North America, supporting more than 780 species of fish and wildlife and providing a vital migration corridor for 60 percent of all North American birds and 40 percent of the migratory waterfowl in the United States. (6) The Mississippi River serves as a major transportation corridor for grain and cargo. (7) Congress has designated the Mississippi River System as a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant navigation system and is the only inland river system to receive both designations. (8) Despite its critical value to the United States, the Mississippi River is in a severe state of ecological decline, as documented by the United States Geological Survey, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other Federal and State agencies. (9) Modifications to the Mississippi River have resulted in the extensive loss of wetlands and complex river habitats causing profound harm to the treasured fish and wildlife resources in the United States and increasing flood risks to communities. (10) Polluted runoff has drastically reduced water quality and created a massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. (11) Invasive aquatic species threaten the ecological integrity of the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico, and the fisheries and recreation that rely on a healthy ecosystem. (12) Ecological