River's flow is vital to vast area of the U.S.

Water is a commodity that is all but taken for granted in areas where there is plenty of it. Efforts to tinker with the natural periods of water abundance and drought are all it takes to stir most people from their apathy.

That's exactly what's happening as the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service continues to push its plan for releasing more water into the Misouri River from dams in the Dakotas in the spring and holding back more of the flow in the drier summer months.

The impetus for this plan is twofold: First, the Fish and Wildlife Service says it's concerned about endangered habitat and wildlife along the northern reaches of the Missouri River. Second, the dammed-up water has created a lucrative recreation business for the Dakotas, prompting strong support in that part of the country for the river-flow plan.

Farther downstream, however, the plan is a cause for consternation. As far south as the Mississippi River that flows past Southeast Missouri, there are widespread cautions about the impact the proposal would have mainly on barge traffic and rainy-season flooding.

A hearing last week in Cape Girardeau drew a number of opponents -- but not a single supporter. Those in attendance who are knowledgeable about river flows in this section of the country insisted that releasing water from the Missouri River dams in the spring -- when the Mississippi is most prone to flooding -- and holding back water during the summer -- when river levels here are usually lowest -- would be disastrous for barge lines. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources opposes the plan.

This is no insignificant concern. More than 900,000 tons of crucial agricultural commodities and coal were shipped last year from the Southeast Missouri Port Authority at Scott City, Mo., and there are several more ports along the Mississippi before the river reaches the Arkansas border.

The flow of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers is under the control of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for maintaining river channels deep enough for barges even in the driest weather.

Currently, the corps is considering several options as opponents and proponents of the Fish and Wildlife Service's plan try to find a suitable compromise.

One of those options is to leave things just as they are. Clearly, those who have an interest in the river's flow in Southeast Missouri would like to stick with that option.

In the western states, water is the source of fierce fights, mostly legal and some physical. Regardless of where the battles are being waged, the common denominator is this: Who profits most? In the case of the Missouri River, the interests of the vast midsection of our nation must be considered as a whole, not just the special interests in one area.