“The problem is, that’s going to lead to major navigation problems on the Mississippi River, which also has low water levels because of this year’s drought,” Grassley says. “The result is, difficult shipping conditions for grain and other commodities.” The Corps is moving the Missouri River into what it’s calling “drought reserve mode” and it will mean much less water flowing downriver…
All mariners are advised that the Upper Mississippi River Waterways Action Plan Zone 28 (RM 109.9 to RM 185.0) is currently in the extreme low water action phase. Due to low river levels and shifting channels, there is an increase for potential groundings. Transit at a slow speed near fleeting areas. Heavy barges should be placed in the middle of tows. Transit with extreme caution. For additional info, contact the Coast Guard Sector UMR Command Center at 314-269-2332.
Stages on the Illinois are near their minimum. Please use considerable caution when navigating on the Illinois River.
It is recommended that pilots be mindful of draft, as the river is quite low.
As the river falls, rock pinnacles at Thebes increasingly become navigation hazards. It is recommended that in the vicinity of the Thebes bridge, tows stay off the green buoy line. For a view of the rock at Thebes, Click here
Can’t speak to increased business, although it’s possible we could be seeing some here in NY, since the St Lawrence is at an unusually (but not yet a “never before seen”) low level, for the same reasons the Mississippi is low.
Big ships (lakers and salties) aren’t having any problems yet that I know of, but recreational boating has taken a real hit. A lot of docks are approaching “high and dry.”
From the linked aerial photo, the railroad bridge - you can see the cars of a train on it and their shadows on the ground below if you look closely ! - appears to be about 0.8 to 1.0 mile from the rock pinnacles. I’m no river pilot, but I’d say that distance should provide enough time and space to maneuver to stay safely clear of the bridge. Having said that, of course, we all know what might happen next . . . [:-^]
This problem may explain why in the last few weeks the A&WP sub has had from 2 - 4 unit grain trains southbound and corresponding emptys northbound. Usual traffic has been 2 - 3 a week. Note trains also have more power than before even emptys.
It’s deja vu all over again. Low water problems on the Mississippi have occurred ever since the days of steam boats. At least then you could get in a calliope concert while you waited for the water to rise.
The Army Corps of Engineers on Friday began reducing the flow from a Missouri River reservoir, a move expected to worsen low-water conditions on the Mississippi River and potentially bring barge traffic to a halt within weeks…
The Mississippi is nearing historic lows between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill. Barges are already required to carry lighter loads and the middle of the river could be closed to barge traffic if the water level at St. Louis dips below minus 5 feet. It was at minus 0.45 feet Friday…
The National Weather Service forecast for river levels extends only as far as Dec. 6. It calls for the Mississippi River to get to minus 3.7 feet at St. Louis by then. Businesses that ship on the river and their trade groups expect to get to minus 5 feet by around Dec. 10…
The Mississippi just upstream from St. Louis above the Illinois RIver closes for the winter. The Illinois River system usually stays open year round. The Illinois provides a barge route from Chicago to New Orleans.
A lot of grain moves south after the harvest down the Illinois and Mississippi to New Orleans. Will that grain be shifted to rail? Will that grain be put into temporary storage in hope spring rains will raise the Mississippi so barges may take it.?
Ah… That depends on how much a buyer is willing to pay for it. The Japanese and Chinese have been building their own grain elevators up here and are running unit trains to Portland or some such place.
If New Orleans will not pay the freight, the Japanese sure as heck will!
US agricultural exports are in a decline. A primary culprit is the ethanol mandate which takes 40% of the total US corn crop. Additionally, high prices for US ag commodities are causing the farmers of other nations to grow more and become competitive in the market.
For the river transport industry, this isn’t good. A whole lot of their business was export grain and soybeans to the New Orleans area.
The 2012 drought was bad enough to cause the grain processors in central Illinois to need to bring in corn from places like Minnesota and South Dakota. Unit trains are now running to bring corn in to central Illinois. Kind of amazing.
So you say, but Japan IS building grain elevators in North Dakota.
We have an ethanol plant here in Richardton, and it has been GREAT for the farm economy hereabouts. No longer are we tied to the price ADM wants to pay for corn. But the corn used in the ethanol plant is not the same kind of corn that you put on your table. If you want to pay us good money for that kind of corn we will be happy to grow it for you. If the ethanol plant wanted sawgrass then we would grow them sawgrass. If you want it bad enough, we’ll grow it for you. Sure enough if I plant ethanol corn, then I am obviously not planting wheat. But we have plenty of land out here and only a fraction of it is under cultivation. If we could make money growing stuff, we would grow stuff, if we cannot we will not. Crop inputs are high, fuel, equipment, labor, seeds, fertilizers, weed and pest control. We gotta borrow that money from a bank before we can plan a crop season. We gotta pay the money back at the end of the year win loose or draw. And remember: Farmers only get one pay check per year.
NORTH DAKOTA is quickly becoming a major energy capitol: Wind, Coal, Oil, Ethanol, and we get to feed you all too! And we do not ship anything on the Missouri River.
I only posted facts from the linked article that cited an agricultural economist from Purdue University. I didn’t know that mere facts would upset you. Please excuse my thoughtlessness in bringing some factual information into the disucssion.
And thanks for the lesson on corn. I mean who knew that the sweet corn we humans eat is different from field corn? Who knew?
As to ADM deciding the price of corn, they don’t. But that’s more factual information - so I’ll not further mention it here least I cause further unpleasantness.
As to ethanol being good for the rual economy. I’ll agree with that. Of couse, it harms everyone else who is essentially forced to buy the stuff. It’s an income transfer to the corn growers. And to ADM for that matter. Not good for most of the population economic wise. But I find myself slipping in the the use of factual information once again. I hope you will excuse my use of facts. They seem to rile you.
Assume the river runs too dry to navigate. What are the consequences due to the economics of transportation?
Do you run trains to the Gulf?
If grain is being exported to Asia and rail is how to move it, do you rail it to the Pacific coast instead?
If transportation price increases drives the price down to the farmer, do domestic processors make more fuel, sugar, oils, etc with lower priced grain?
If you are the railroads, do you price high to squeeze all you may from a temporary situation? Do you price to gain market long term with the opening nature has provided to gain customers?
A few years ago it was flooding closing the Mississippi to commercial navigation. This year it is drought. There is no arguing nature has a great effect on commercial navigation on the inland waterways.
If you are a public policy decision maker, do you still steer public funds into maintaining commercial navigation? Do you steer more into commercial navigation? Canalize the Mississippi for navigation from St. Louis to Cairo as it is from St. Paul to St. Louis.
Do you change public policy to encourage public policy north south rail capacity expansion in the Central United States.
“We gotta borrow that money from a bank before we can plan a crop season”
“We gotta pay the money back at the end of the year” unless there’s fed’ crop insurance…
“one pay check a year”…if federal and state ag’ subsidies aren’t considered…eg. Ca. Water Project irrigating the San Joaquin…
Is criticism about borrowing to refurbish the I-highways, the locks- and-dams and air-traffic-control besides myriad other organisations, institutions, scholarships, medical assistance, food and lodging for those who retired or can’t go to work for salary again different from the ag’ deficit financing scheme?
The similarities deny objections to financing. RED state’s rep’s that decry deficit financing EXCEPT FOR AGRICULTURE just…they just…they?
Since the wet/dry weather patterns in our country seem to work on a semi-predictable, repeating pattern, all we’d have to do, is see how everything shook out the last time the upper plains had a drought. If history repeats, that would have been somewhere around 6-8 years ago.