The lingering effects of this year’s drought may bring Mississippi River commerce to a screeching halt next month. Water flows from the Missouri River will decrease in late November and early December, and that could put Mississippi River navigation in peril.
The Army Corps of Engineers fills up reservoirs at six dams on the Missouri River every year in late November. They do this in order to save water for flood control, navigation, water supplies, ecosystem restoration and a host of other uses.
Waterway Council, Inc. president and CEO Mike Toohey says that isn’t a problem during a normal year.
“This year, that’s a great concern because the reduction in the flows that result from the impoundment will mean that we won’t have enough water flowing into the Mississippi River at St. Louis to sustain navigation,” Toohey said.
Another concern is rock formations in southern Illinois at Grand Tower and Thebes. Toohey says if the Corps does not release water from the upper Missouri River, water levels will be so low these rock outcrops could puncture barges and tows in that stretch of the Mississippi.
“On or about December 10, navigation will cease from St. Louis to Cairo on the Middle Mississippi River,” Toohey said.
Toohey and other river navigation industry leaders such as the American Waterways Operators say the only way to avoid a traffic shutdown is to immediately remove the rock outcrops, or to provide water from the upper Missouri until rock excavation work is complete.
Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Mike Peterson says work will probably begin on the rock outcrops early next year. He says that’s as soon as the Corps can obey contracting laws and contract somebody to remove the rocks.
“I understand the concern of the river industry because this is a critical channel for commerce to America. So we’re going to do everything we can to keep that channel open,” Peterson said. “But there’s really nothing we can do beyond mother nature and the law. So we’re looking at all the options within those margins.”
Releasing water from the Missouri River to help maintain navigation isn’t as simple as it may seem. Peterson says the Corps must look at competing interests for dwindling water supplies on the river system beyond this December.
“If we let that water go and we don’t get any to fill it back up, that puts us in a whole different set of problems. We operate our systems to maintain a balance between the needs of nature, the needs of mankind and often competing needs of what we need,” Peterson said.
In a press release, Toohey said his organization is confident the government can find a way to cut through red tape and maintain a viable navigation system without having a significant impact on other beneficiaries who rely on inland waterway resources.
Toohey called closure of the Mississippi “potentially catastrophic.”
“It’s petroleum products that will not get to the gas station for fueling vehicles. It will be coal that will not get to power plants to generate electricity. It will be the inputs to manufacturing that will not get to the plant, causing the plant to potentially shut down,” Toohey said.
Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and the barge industry will hold a press conference in St. Louis on Friday to address concerns due to the drought and low water levels.