Groups want watershed study for upper Mississippi Ron DeBrock, Hearst Illinois FacebookTwitterEmail Barges travel along the Mississippi River in Godfrey. Five conservation groups have called for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a watershed study for the Upper Mississippi River.John Badman | Hearst Illinois The U.S. Corps of Engineers is scheduled to discuss a proposed Mississippi River watershed plan with representatives of five states today. The Corps estimates a watershed study for the Upper Mississippi River Basin would cost $3 million and take three years. “We need a watershed study that works across the federal and state agencies to guide policies and actions in a coordinated way,” said Christine Favilla, Three Rivers project coordinator for the Sierra Club.