Historically low Miss. River makes for intriguing photos, but poses difficult challenges - KPLC

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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Mississippi River usually rests about mid-way up the USS Kidd in downtown Baton Rouge, but with the river’s waterline falling lower and lower, the warship’s underbelly is becoming a new spot for family photos.

While some are peaking at propellers and areas of the boat usually hidden by the murky waters of the mighty Mississippi, shipping companies are having to adjust to the historically lower levels.

“It’s extremely low water, likely record low water,” Ron Zornes, Director of Corporate Operations with Canal Barge Co., said.

Zornes says the company’s 900 barges and 50 tow boats have to move fewer products at a time upriver in order to navigate some of the harder-hit waterways.

In this photo taken by a drone, a barge maneuvers its way down the normally wide Mississippi River where it has been reduced to a narrow trickle Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at Tiptonville, Tenn. The lack of rainfall in recent weeks has left the river approaching record low levels in areas from Missouri south through Louisiana, making barge and other navigation along the river more difficult. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)(Jeff Roberson | AP)

“We need to load them lighter, so they don’t have as deep a draft that they normally do,” he said.

Though shipping goods has grown increasingly challenging, Zornes says his company and others like it are busier now than ever.

“The equipment is more artificially in demand because all that product needs to be moved but now you have to move it with a lot more barges than in a normal water situation. So, to move the same amount of product takes a lot longer and a lot more equipment which is more expensive than normal,” he said.

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It’s not just shipping companies that have to deal with the low water levels in the Mississippi. The Port of New Orleans says some cruise lines are feeling the effects too.

In a statement, the port says “River cruise lines are reporting some delays and cancelations upriver. Port NOLA continues to closely monitor the situation.”

American Cruise Lines says most of their cruises upstream and downstream remain unaffected by the water levels, while American Queen Voyages says six cruises had to have an itinerary change. Port NOLA also says that cruises heading out to sea are unaffected by the river’s issues.

Meanwhile, environmental experts say they are concerned about what the water levels mean for local wildlife.

“I think there’s a lot of marine life that could be impacted by that. That’s probably where we will see it the most in Louisiana,” John Sabo, Director, ByWater Institute, said.

Sabo worries about the salinity levels in estuaries right off the coast as a result of not enough fresh water getting dumped in from the Mississippi River and too much water coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. He says that could have negative effects on Louisiana seafood and the animals that call the habitat home.

A shipwreck is exposed along the banks of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, due to low water levels, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, in Baton Rouge, La. Archaeologists believe the ship is a ferry that was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s and sunk in 1915. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)(Stephen Smith | AP)

A man walking along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, La., stops to look at a shipwreck revealed by the low water level on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. The ship, which archaeologists believe to be a ferry that sunk in the late 1800s to early 1900s, was spotted by a Baton Rouge resident walking along the shore earlier this month. (AP Photo/Sara Cline)(Sara Cline | AP)

For that reason, Sabo says more people along the coast need to pay attention to weather patterns not just in the region but around the Mississippi’s water sources.

“The Mississippi is an enormous river. It drives water from 32 U.S. states and one providence in Canada. So, things that happen upstream really affect us because the river ends here,” he said.

People walk toward Tower Rock to check out the attraction normally surrounded by the Mississippi River and only accessible by boat in Perry County, Mo., on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. Foot traffic to the rock formation has been made possible because of near record low water levels along the river. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)(Jeff Roberson | AP)

And with climate change having its effects on the weather, Sabo says those who depend on the Mississippi can only hope for more consistent rain next year.

“Just one rain shower, just one storm moving through won’t do it. We’ll need a lot of rain over an extended period of time to really build back up the flow of water,” Zornes said.

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