Missouri-Mississippi River Water Woes

A lengthy drought takes it toll on the water levels of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, leading to demands for presidential intervention and scary headlines, like this one from the St. Louis Business Journal, "Low levels on Missouri, Mississippi rivers create water war".

"So what?" some of you east of the Mississippi or on the West Coast may ask. That's because you don't fully appreciate how much this river system is used as a transportation system.

Naturally, conflicting river water usages creates political controversy, as noted by Platts in "US Army Corps rejects request to open dam to raise Mississippi River"

The Army Corps of Engineers has rejected a plea by several US lawmakers to reopen a South Dakota dam to raise the level of the Mississippi River before it falls too low for barge traffic.

In a letter released Friday by Senator Dick Durbin's office, the agency said it cannot legally alter its wintertime plan for managing the Missouri River. The Corps decides each fall how much water to impound on the upper Missouri to meet the needs of communities above the Gavins Point Dam.
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. . . the Corps has started to address concerns about Mississippi navigation through other means.

It advertised an expedited contract to remove underwater rock boulders threatening to halt barge traffic near the Illinois towns of Thebes and Grand Tower. . . .

The Corps also plans to dredge about 21 sediment shoals in the middle Mississippi.

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Barges carry crude oil, petroleum products, coal, grains and other commodities on the Mississippi year-round.

For all the seeming simplicity of a river-based transport system, it can sure get complex.

Fewer river barges may mean more trucks on the road, causing more pollution and increasing transport costs.

Now, contemplate some of the national security issues that might be involved.

UPDATE: At eight feet of water, some barges will stop. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Top ten low water records for St. Louis from NOAA:
(1) -6.20 ft on 01/16/1940
(2) -5.70 ft on 01/26/1963
(3) -5.60 ft on 01/01/1964
(4) -5.32 ft on 12/26/1989
(5) -5.00 ft on 12/12/1937
(6) -4.60 ft on 12/29/1933
(7) -4.50 ft on 01/16/2003
(8) -3.80 ft on 01/01/1990
(9) -3.53 ft on 12/08/2005
(10) -3.20 ft on 12/18/1988

NOAA water level forecast:

Could make the top ten if this keeps up.

The River Highways

Before there were highways or even cleared trails, there were rivers. The Romans used them (see here):

The Rhine river was the main highway of the Roman province and the boat's site was a river port.
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Life-sized model of Roman riverboat at Vienne (photo: Athena Review; Musee archeologique) 

The entire flat-bottomed vessel, a standard Roman type, would have been 22 to 23 metres long and would have had a beam of 3.5 metres and a capacity of 20 to 30 tons, suitable for cattle, stone and bricks, firewood or construction timber.  

Model photo from here

And, as noted here,

Flatboats were first introduced on the Connecticut River by European settlers in the 1630s. "Flatboats as developed by colonial builders were generally provided with a square mainsail set in the middle of the craft... and a topsail which was used only before the wind. ...When the wind was unfavorable these boats were propelled by poling. ...The flatboats [carried north] miscellaneous cargoes of merchandise, with iron, salt, molasses and much rum, and were returned down the river laden with shingles, potash and other products of the region... Household goods were also carried up for new settlers."


[From "The Upper Valley: An Illustrated Tour Along the Connecticut River" by Jerold Wikoff,
Chelsea Green Publishing Company, Chelsea VT, 1985.]

As the population moved west and found new rivers, new river highways opened up.

From A/V Geeks: Flatboatmen Of The Frontier (1941)

Presents a phase of pioneer agricultural economy in the early nineteenth century. Portrays Ohio Valley farmers as they fell trees, prepare the lumber, and build a flatboat to carry their produce down the river to market. Shows the farmers’ families helping them prepare for the trip, and the men on the first lap of their journey downstream.

 Some further history of these craft - on which floated the commerce of a nation - here.