In the last few weeks, a lack of rainfall in the Ohio River valley and other regions has contributed to the lower Mississippi River reaching its lowest levels in a decade.
The low water levels have resulted in barges reducing their loads or getting stuck. Thomas Russell of Russell Marine Group told DTN that dredging occurred at mile 484 in northeastern Louisiana on Oct. 7, and there were 74 northbound and 111 southbound tows affected. As of Oct. 10, the National Weather Service reported the Mississippi River level at Cape Girardeau in Missouri was at 7.54 feet and declining.
According to DTN, the Northwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a press release on Sept. 7 that winter releases from the Gavins Point Dam along the South Dakota border will be at the minimum rate of 12,000 cubic feet per second for the second year in a row. The cut in winter flows from the Missouri River will drop Mississippi River levels further by Dec. 1 unless it rains.
