America's Wetland Foundation

Barge companies fear Mississippi River shutdown because of water levels

By: CNN

As politicians and barge companies express fear of a shutdown or significant disruption, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is tackling one of two significant problems presented in the drought-stricken Mississippi River.

In Wake of Sandy, Bill Would Improve Nation’s Resiliency to Extreme Weather

By: Alec Gerlach, (202) 224-4159

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced legislation to strengthen existing extreme weather resiliency efforts. The legislation would provide state and local governments with the tools and information they need to develop and improve local infrastructure in an effort to better manage and withstand extreme weather in the short and long-term.

New project hopes to restore water flow in Terrebonne

By: Houma Today

A new restoration project aims to restore freshwater flow through Carencro Bayou in Terrebonne Parish.

Low water makes life difficult for barge operators

By: Jim Merkel - jmerkel@yourjournal.com, St. Louis Today

When Lewis & Clark Marine fills barges these days, a lot of material stays on the dock. "There is less tonnage that can be moved because the drafts are restricted in low water," said Paul Wellhausen, a vice president of Lewis & Clark Marine, Inc., which operates on the Chain of Rocks Canal in Granite City. The draft is how deep a boat goes into the water. In normal conditions, a barge could go 10 or 11 feet below the water. But low water caused by a severe drought means some barge lines are loading at no more than eight feet.

Mississippi River level still expected to drop

By: Associated Press, St. Louis Today

Water levels on the drought-plagued Mississippi River are expected to keep dropping over the next several weeks, according to a new forecast Wednesday that comes amid worries that barge traffic soon could be squeezed along a key stretch of the vital shipping corridor. The latest outlook by National Weather Service hydrologists shows the river at St. Louis falling to about 9 feet deep by Dec. 30 _ a day later than earlier predicted _ and by a half foot more by Jan. 9, barring significant rainfall. The Coast Guard has said further restrictions on barge traffic are likely if the river's depth dips to 9 feet.

Editorial: Time for river states to stop bickering and work together

By: St. Louis Post Dispatch

Imagine a bipartisan filibuster-proof 62-vote majority in the U.S. Senate. A pipe dream? Perhaps, but it’s the underlying sentiment behind a very important meeting about the future of the Mississippi River system held last week in St. Louis. Finding a way to cobble together those 62 votes might be necessary to block an actual pipe carrying dreams of unlimited water from the Midwest to the semi-arid West.

Going with the flow: Forums to sustain Mississippi River

By: STL Beacon

Over the past few years, the area where the Mississippi River connects with the Gulf of Mexico has been battered and ravaged by storms and hurricanes, not to mention the spill from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

Low levels on Missouri, Mississippi rivers create water war

By: St. Louis Business Journal

A water war is bubbling up in the Midwest as water levels along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers are becoming increasingly scarce.

NOAA releases dire prediction for the "Big Muddy"

By: KNOE 8 News

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported today that only seven percent of the country is currently covered by snow, the lowest percentage in recorded history. Not good news considering that 60.2 percent of the contiguous United States was still under moderate to extreme drought conditions at the end of October, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

A call for more cooperative Mississippi River management

By: R. King Milling, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Disasters remind us of what we value most yet often take for granted. They tend to expose our failures as a society to face reality and do what is necessary to safeguard our vital assets. Recent Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac, for instance, served as tragic reminders that our coastal cities are more vulnerable than ever to increasingly powerful storms, sea level rise and coastal erosion.

We need a balanced strategy for the Texas Coast

By: Buddy Garcia, Houston Chronicle

Having served on both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Railroad Commission of Texas, I have seen our coast as an environmental ecosystem with fisheries and natural habitats worthy of conservation and as an energy resource critical to the nation for its sustainable security and economic health. We enjoy a robust economy in Texas, and much of our economy depends on a strong, resilient coast.

Balanced strategy needed to protect Texas coast

By: San Antonio Express

Having the distinct honor of serving on both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission, I have seen our coast as an environmental ecosystem with fisheries and natural habitats worthy of conservation and as an energy resource critical to the nation for its sustainable security and economic health.

Louisiana lining up major restoration projects to build with BP oil spill fine money

By: The Times-Picayune

Louisiana officials are scrambling to prepare plans for dozens of coastal restoration projects in anticipation of the arrival of billions of dollars in BP oil spill fine money, the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority was told Wednesday.

Water Levels Dangerously Low On Mississippi River

By: NPR

Mississippi River water levels are reaching near-record lows. Sections of the middle Mississippi River may become obstructed in December by rock outcrops in southern Illinois. The Army Corps of Engineers plan to remove the rock pinnacles in February, but river navigation industry leaders say that's not soon enough.

Mississippi River could become impassable in two weeks

By: The Kansas City Star

The Mississippi River could be too shallow for barge traffic between St. Louis and Cairo in two weeks due to decreasing water levels.