Storms Worsen Mississippi River Barge Transport Problems
The Editors
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A storm front will dump more rain on the swollen Mississippi River system today as additional rains will continue to test the barge transportation system from Iowa and Illinois in the North to Mississippi and Louisiana in the South.
With the Mississippi River at its’ highest level in 15 years, flood conditions in the states along the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois and Arkansas Rivers have slowed southbound grain barge traffic since the middle of March. As many as four locks in the Upper Mississippi are closed due to high water. In the lower reaches of the Mississippi, the Bonnet Carre Spillway located roughly 28 miles north of New Orleans was opened for the first time in more than a decade to divert water away from the levees protecting the city and reduce damage inflicted by the heavy current. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers still hopes that the spillway which has been open since April 11th can be closed within a few days.
For the week ending May 3, barge grain movements were down by 46% from the previous week and had decreased by 42% compared to the same period last year. Since the beginning of April the number of grain barges unloaded at New Orleans dropped by 21% compared to the same period last year.
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