The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Jan. 2 said it believes the authorized 9-foot deep commercial navigation channel on the Mississippi River will remain open between St. Louis, Mo., and Cairo, Ill., due to a combination of dredging, rock removal, upriver reservoir releases, and an improving weather forecast.
The Corps said the latest weather forecast shows an increased chance of rain for the Middle Mississippi during the second week of January, while the Corps’ ongoing effort to remove some 890 cubic yards of limestone from the river bottom at Thebes, Ill., will result in approximately 2 feet of additional depth in that stretch of the river by Jan. 11. The Corps also said recent rainfall and water releases from Carlyle Lake in southeastern Illinois have improved the forecast for the drought-depleted river between St. Louis and Cairo.
“The Corps’ rock removal contractors are making excellent progress in removing the rock obstructions from the primary area of concern,” said Maj. Gen. John Peabody, the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division Commander. “We believe we will deepen the channel ahead of the worst-case river stage scenario, and I remain confident that navigation will continue.”
Based on the latest National Weather Service worst-case, “no rain” forecasts, the Corps said river levels won’t reach minus 5 feet on the St. Louis gage until mid-January. At that point, the rock formations at Thebes will be removed enough to prevent a negative impact to the 9-foot-deep navigation channel, the Corps said.
The American Waterways Operators (AWO) and Waterways Council Inc. (WCI), however, continue to stress that commerce on the Middle Mississippi River could come to an effective halt between Jan. 5 and Jan. 15, because dropping water levels will likely limit towboats to an 8-foot draft between St. Louis and Cairo.
The two trade groups, which represent the barge and inland waterways industries, have been pressing the Obama Administration to direct the Corps to release more water from Missouri River reservoirs to help bolster the Mississippi between Cairo and St. Louis, where the Missouri joins the Mississippi. AWO and WCO said the majority of towboats require a 9-foot draft to operate, and only a very small number of towing vessels can operate at 8- or 7-foot drafts.
“The uncertainty of this deteriorating situation for the nation’s shippers is having as much of an impact as the lack of water itself,” said Michael J. Toohey, WCI president and CEO. “The Administration must direct the Corps to release enough water to sustain navigation on the Mississippi River now or time will have run out and an effective shutdown could remain in place for weeks.”
AWO and WCI last week released revised data on the economic impact of a shutdown of barge traffic in January. They said the potential supply-chain disruption in Mississippi River states from Jan. 7-31 alone could affect more than 8,000 jobs and more than $54 million in wages and benefits, as well as 7.2 million tons of commodities valued at $2.8 billion.
Stakeholders have urged the Administration to authorize the release of an additional 4,000 cfs, or 1 percent of current storage, from the Missouri River reservoir system to avert a shutdown of Mississippi River barge transportation.
As part of its Missouri River management plan, the Corps in early December began its seasonal decreases in water releases from upriver reservoirs. The Corps announced on Nov. 23 that it would gradually reduce water discharges from Gavins Point Dam from 38,000 cfs to a winter discharge rate of 12,000 cfs (GM Nov. 26, 2012). On Dec. 18, however, the Corps temporarily increased releases to 18,000 cfs to prevent ice jams in the lower Missouri during a period of cold weather.
On Jan. 3, the Corps said it would again begin gradually