Mississippi River level drops

ST. LOUIS — Low water levels on the Mississippi River are causing problems, just weeks after one of the worst floods ever on Ol’ Miss.

Twice last week, tows pushing barges on the Mississippi north of St. Louis have become stuck in dirt and sand in the navigation channel. That’s partly because the massive flooding in June washed ton after ton of sand and soil into the river.

But it is also because portions of the Midwest have seen very little rain in the weeks since the flood. The river level is dropping up to a foot a day in some areas, said Lt. Rob McCaskey of the U.S. Coast Guard office in St. Louis.

“When you go from extreme high water to low water, that has a tendency to leave behind significant sediment, and it shifts channels unexpectedly,” McCaskey said.

The low water is causing concerns for the federal agencies responsible for the river, the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard, as well as tow operators. It is estimated that about 60 percent of the nation’s agricultural commodities eventually exported overseas are shipped down the river to New Orleans.