Mississippi low water forces draft cap, tow restrictions

Low water levels in the Mississippi River have forced the Lower Mississippi River Commission (LOMRC) to implement draft caps and tow restrictions as the region that feeds the Mississippi has no rain being forecast for the next couple of weeks, which could become a problem for barge transportation in the area. For many generations, the Mississippi River has been an integral part of the region and enables several key sectors to transport their goods up and down the river that reaches into parts of the United States that they otherwise would have struggled to get to.

Lower Mississippi River Commission (LOMRC) has urged mariners to use caution in the area

Donnie Williams, co-chairman of the Lower Mississippi River Commission (LOMRC), has urged mariners making use of the Mississippi River in the coming weeks to use extreme caution when operating in the area and instituted several measures to ensure a safe passage for anyone passing through the region. What measures, you may ask?

LOMRC, working in tandem with the Coast Guard, instituted an 11-foot draft for southbound tows from Cairo, Ill., at the confluence with the Ohio River, to Lake Providence (Mile 483) and set a width restriction of no more than six barges wide. The LOMRC urges mariners to exercise extreme caution when using the river between those two points, and pointed out that no groundings in the channel had been reported, but the odds are high of one taking place if caution is not used.

Those barge restrictions are only going to tighten, says the LOMRC

With no rain forecast for the region, the Lower Mississippi River Commission has stated that it expects to tighten restrictions even more in the weeks to come as the region feels the effects of climate change. This time of the year, that region is supposed to receive enough rain to feed the iconic river system, but reduced precipitation has resulted in the new restrictions.

“I’m very concerned because we’re not getting any dredges out here. That’s my problem. Industry is doing everything it can to be proactive in this low water, but we have been struggling with the Corps of Engineers for funding reasons. They will not release a dredge out of deep draft to come to shallow draft.” – Donnie Williams, co-chairman of the Lower Mississippi River Commission (LOMRC)

The LOMRC is aiming to avoid any incidents that might occur in the channel, which could pose significant risks to the companies operating in the region and simply passing through it. Several of those companies have given their opinion on the situation in the Mississippi River.

“We continue to see evidence that we may once again experience some low water conditions on the lower Mississippi River this fall. River levels at St. Louis are approximately 8 higher now than the same date last year. In Memphis, the reading is approximately 4.5 higher. Unfortunately, the trend line continues to decrease.” – Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the soy transportation coalition

“For the past three years, we’ve been dealing with low water conditions with three harvests in a row that have somewhat been a nightmare. It looks like we’re heading into what could potentially be the fourth, but the biggest difference is that right now we’re not nearly as bad as we were before at this point in the past few years where we had major issues.” – Susan Stroud of No Bull Ag

Can a solution be found, or will the stakeholders simply have to wait it out

In reality, there is not much one can do to make more rain or bring the levels to an acceptable level in the Mississippi River. The mariners in the region have been warned of several potential trouble spots between St. Louis and Cairo, traditionally known as the “middle” Mississippi. The midstream sector as a whole has seen several studies that emphasize the importance of maintaining an acceptable level of balance with nature. Can the Mississippi recover? With summer in full swing, rain will come, eventually.