The Mississippi River is still open for shipping at present but that would not be the case in January. A drought in the Midwestern has brought the water level in the river to a very low level that it threatens to shut down shipping.
The Mississippi river is one of the world’s biggest navigable inland waterways. It handles around $7 billion in trade during a typical December and January. If the water levels continue to drop, it will be closed to navigation between St. Louis and Cairo.
Companies that ship goods up and down the river have asked the federal government to destroy rock formations in Southern Illinois that hinder navigation when the water level is low and release more water from the dams along the upper Missouri river.
But the request to release water from the reservoirs has not been approved. The corps rejected requests and said that it does not have the authority to use that water with regards to helping navigation on the Mississippi River.
Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota praised the decision and called it unlawful to release water that states such as South Dakota need and use. He added that his region has also suffered from the deought.
The Waterways Council, which is a group that lobbies on behalf of inland carriers, operators and ports, warned that traffic would stop by Monday. The water levels have dropped more slowly than expected and this could be due to the small water released by the corps. The group of businesses involved in trade along the Mississippi and sympathetic lawmakers asked President Obama to order the release of water.
