Corps of Engineers trying to maintain river traffic

The Corps is working to maintain navigation on the Mississippi River south of St. Louis to New Orleans.

Compiled by staff

Published: Jul 25, 2012

As the Lower Mississippi River approaches near-record low stages, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to keep the river safe and reliable for navigation.

“We are closely monitoring river levels and regularly communicating with the U.S. Coast Guard and the navigation industry,” Tom Minyard, the Memphis District’s Chief of Engineering and Construction said. “We have a number of tools at our disposal to ensure the river stays open and useable.”

The Corps is mandated to provide a minimum navigation channel that is 9 feet deep and 300 feet wide on the lower Mississippi River. Dredging and long-term channel improvements help ensure commercial traffic is able to move up and down the river to support our national and local economies.

Record low water occurred in 1988 when the river fell to -10.7 on the Memphis gage. Current National Weather Service forecasts call for the river to reach -8.3 in Memphis by August 1. This will be an amazing 56.3 feet lower than the highest reading during last year’s spring floods. The extended forecast calls for the river to continue to drop to -9.6 feet on the Memphis gage by August 22.

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