The document discusses a visit to the Ted and Pat Jones-Confluence State Park in Missouri, where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River. It draws an analogy between the physical confluence of rivers and the ways people's lives intersect and connect through shared resources like water. It encourages the reader to think about where their water comes from, who else relies on that source, and where the water ultimately ends up, in order to better understand and care for this shared resource.

1. Watershed Committee’s
Water Wednesday
Confluence
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Ted and Pat Jones-Confluence State Park in West Alton,
Missouri, just a few muddy miles upstream of The St. Louis Arch. The term “confluence” describes the point at
which two streams meet. It could be where a tributary flows into a river, where a seasonal stream joins a spring
branch, or, in the case of this State Park, where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. A short trail took us
from the gravel parking lot, surrounded by rows of soybeans and sunflowers, to the narrow point where the rivers
combined. The point was rocky and as we chased sunbathing garter snakes, I looked out into the water and noticed
the line where the rivers met. Clear green water from the upper Mississippi ran into the faster brown water of the
Missouri forming the famous Big Muddy, barreling on to the
Gulf of Mexico. Signs that lined the trail explained the flora
and fauna of the big river ecosystem and highlighted historical
events (a flagpole marked the height of the 1993 flood). A
particularly interesting portion of the sign asked the reader to
imagine the water in the Missouri as the story of a single
drop… snowflakes melted together in the Rocky Mountains of
Montana. Trickling over rocks and lichen, our drop met many
other drops, brooks, creeks, and streams. Many tributaries flow
alongside our drop through North and South Dakota, Nebraska,
and Kansas City before joining the Mississippi.
I’m reminded of the confluences in our lives. We continually
intersect with the lives of others; sometimes joining together,
other times sharing only a small part of our course. Even less
abstract, but perhaps more profound, is our connection to one
another through water. Water connects us to other places,
times, and people. Trace the path of your favorite stream to its
origin. Notice all of the landscapes, towns, and miles it travels
through. Or imagine the story of Lewis and Clark. What better way can we recount their journey than to follow
their trip upstream into the Western territories. Listen to jazz or the blues. These sounds followed boats and barges
up and down the river; from Kansas City, to St. Louis, to New Orleans. Our connection to other people is perhaps
the most important to recognize. Rivers connect us through commerce, culture, and necessity. Think of your con-
nection to people in your community. Everyone is using water from the same place, sharing the same precious
resource. The folks next door aren’t your only neighbors. Our city drinking water is pulled from lakes (McDaniel,
Fellows, and Stockton), rivers (the James) and springs (Fulbright). If you live outside of town or use well water, it
may seem like you are isolated within your own water source. However, if your well is a straw in the glass of wa-
ter, imagine all of the other straws in the same glass. Businesses, farms, golf courses, and individuals all utilize
wells for their water needs. Our underground aquifers supply water to wells, lakes, springs, and rivers, so no man
is an island when we consider our water resources. Furthermore, our downstream neighbors receive what water is
left when we’ve used it, flushed it, treated it, cleaned it, and returned it to the river. Everything we do to our water
should make us think of people that are downstream of us. Remember, we’re downstream too.
So, next time you turn on the tap, stay to watch the last drop fall. Where did it come from? A Montana mountain?
A tropical storm blown north from the Gulf? A local lake, river, well, or treatment plant? Where is it going? To
our downstream neighbors? Back into the groundwater to be used again? Into the air and carried in clouds to an-
other town? A grey water catchment to water your garden? There are many choices we can make to care for that
drop and respect the connection to the other people that drop has met and will meet in the future. Every drop holds
a long story, every drop counts. How will you treat it?
Rob Hunt
Watershed Center Coordinator