O’Fallon, Missouri. (AP) – Parts of the Mississippi River have been so low due to weeks of drought that barge traffic has been limited at its worst – as the harvest of the works begins.
Some Mississippi River communities between St. Petersburg. Water levels could hit record lows in St. Louis and New Orleans in the coming days, including in Carruthersville, Missouri, and Osceola, Arkansas. The National Weather Service predicts readings in Memphis, Tennessee, will reach their second-lowest ever by October. 13.
Bad timing. Corn and soybeans harvested in early fall need to be transported, and barges are critical in moving the commodity from one place to another.
Typically, tugboats are capable of moving 36 barges at a time, officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday. With the water level so low, the shipper voluntarily agreed to reduce it to 25 barges.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s grain shipping report released Thursday said 1,890 grain barges have unloaded in New Orleans since Sept. 18. 1, about 39% below the five-year average.
“Tight barge supply is a problem for grain shippers heading into harvest,” the report said. “Unless barge supply improves, increased barge demand by grain shippers during harvest could lead to greater upside in barge rates. pressure.”
Matt Beitscher, a National Weather Service meteorologist, on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Nearly the entire Mississippi Valley from Minnesota to Louisiana has seen below-normal rainfall over the past 30 days, Lewis said. South St. Louis in the St. Basin has been dry for three months and is expected to continue with above-normal temperatures.
“Hot and dry conditions are not good news for rivers,” Beitscher said.
Despite the low water levels in the Mississippi, there is no evidence that barges or other vessels have been grounded, said Lance Engle, dredging program manager for the St. Petersburg Regiment. louis. Dredging of the bottom of the river continued in several locations to help keep traffic flowing, he said.
The river was not forced to close anywhere, but Joan Stemler, head of water control operations in St. Petersburg, was. Lewis of the Corps of Engineers warned that water from the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River north of St. Petersburg. In December, water levels in St. Louis are expected to drop enough to send the Mississippi River down 3 feet (0.9 m) as the drought continues.
Upper Mississippi River, from Minnesota to St. Louis, operates with a series of locks and dams. From the river of St. Southern Louis is free-flowing. In a low-water emergency, the Corps could release water from the southernmost dam near Alton, Illinois, which would increase the depth downstream by half a foot (15 centimeters), Sturmler said.
“But it’s a one-time thing,” Stemler said. “Once we release this water, we don’t have anything behind it, so we’re a bit stingy with it unless there’s a major nautical event.”
Low water levels also have other effects.
On Wednesday, Regiment officials in Louisiana said river levels were so low that saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico was flowing farther than usual toward New Orleans and threatening drinking water. The Corps plans to build an underwater dyke to hold back the heavier saltwater wedge before the seawater enters the water treatment plant.
Ferries carrying vehicles across the river between Kentucky and Missouri closed in mid-September. The Kentucky Department of Transportation said in a statement that when the river was too low, it was difficult for vehicles to load and unload from the Dorena-Hickman Ferry at both landing points.