(CAIRO, Ill.) — Water levels on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are falling for a second straight year, raising the prospect of shipping problems along U.S. freight routes, Bloomberg reported.
In Cairo, Ill., where the Ohio joins the Mississippi, water levels have dropped more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) in the past week and are forecast to fall more than 4 feet further by the end of July, pushing the Ohio River into its so-called low stage — when barges can run aground and shipping lanes are forced to narrow. In St. Louis, the Mississippi could fall another 3 feet; in Memphis, it’s forecast to decline by twice as much.
“We’re starting off this year low and pretty dry,” said David Welch, a hydrologist with the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. “We’re not seeing a lot of relief in sight.” Currently about 64 percent of the Midwest is in drought, the most in more than a decade.
When water levels fall, it threatens to choke shipping on the waterways and raise transportation costs. The barges sometimes have to be loaded with less cargo to keep them riding high in the river to avoid snagging the bottom. Low river levels can also force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge channels to allow ship traffic. Last year, the low levels contributed to about $20 billion in economic losses, according to AccuWeather Inc.
