Mississippi River water levels: The drought goes on
Written by Nick Blenkey
Deb Calhoun of Waterways Council Inc. explained some of the consequences of low Mississippi River water levels in an interview with NBC
American Commercial Barge Line reports that river levels continue to fall on the Mississippi River with severe impacts to navigation not seen since 1988.
“Industry is incurring catastrophic impacts to boat capacity, which will in turn drastically decrease ton-mile productivity for the inland rivers,” says ACBL in its American Currents newsletter. ACBL notes that on October 17 the Memphis Gauge reported at -10.76 feet, surpassing benchmark low water levels set in 1988.
- You can check the current Memphis Gauge level HERE
ACBL notes that industry reduced southbound loading drafts to 9 feet, 6 inches on September 27 and, as of October 17, has further reduced drafts to 9 feet both northbound and southbound. This change reflects a 24-30% reduction to tons per barge versus normal conditions. Liquid drafts have been reduced to 8 feet 6 inches as of October 17ACBL says industry has agreed to 25-barge max tow size southbound, reflecting a 17-38% reduction in tow size.
You can access the most recent American Currents HERE
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ECONOMY
While U.S. agricultural exports have been particularly hard hit by the reductions in waterways capacity, many other industry sectors are also being impacted. Debra Calhoun of the Waterways Council Inc. explained the consequences for the U.S. economy of all this in a recent TV interview.
