ST. LOUIS (WTAQ) - Mayors of over 40 communities on the Mississippi River are meeting in St. Louis, to look for ways to make the nation’s longest waterway more sustainable.

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative is holding its inaugural three-day meeting Thursday through Saturday.

Organizers say they hope to attract state and federal support for keeping the river vibrant. They say the Mississippi plays a major role in moving an array of goods and farm products – and it provides drinking water for most of the 3 million people who live along the river, including those in western Wisconsin.