portfolio > gone on the river

confluences: the Minnesota
confluences: the Minnesota
June 21, 2022

The Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet just downstream of Minneapolis, at the sharp tail of Pike Island. But just as I've seen with other rivers on this journey, they don't commingle quickly or cleanly.

The Minnesota comes to the meeting with a huge amount of suspended solids. I checked the
turbidity of the Minnesota-In-Miss and it was below 25cm, where the Mississippi just upstream was over 40cm.

The line where the two meet was noticeable all the way into downtown St. Paul, miles downstream. The right bank was tan (again), the left bank darker and clearer.

But this time, with more water coming in from the new silty entrant than I've seen before, that line was interestingly varied. Puffs of silty water came from below the surface, bubbling up. Little islands of dark water would become separated and surrounded by the lighter, siltier water on the right bank, or vice versa.

I can't get enough of this, I'm finding.