2012 Drought Impacting Mississippi River Barge Traffic
By Alex Sosnowsk
AccuWeather.com
Jul 19, 2012
The ongoing drought has river levels along the Mississippi River plunging to very low levels this summer and more serious issues for barge traffic are possible moving into the autumn if rainfall does not normalize.
Have you ever been delayed on an interstate highway during road construction, where two or three lanes are whittled down to one lane? This could be the developing situation on Old Man River in the coming weeks and months with barge traffic.
It was just last year when levels along the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries were close to record high levels. What a difference a year makes.
Falling river levels are not uncommon during the summer months in the central and eastern United States. However, the building drought over much of the middle of the nation currently has the mighty Mississippi running well below normal and levels in many areas are likely to fall through much of the summer into the autumn, unless widespread and regular rain comes.
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