Drought Hits Mighty Mississippi

As if high temperatures, wildfires, and dried up crops weren't enough, the drought plaguing the US is now crippling the nation's largest river.

The Mississippi River is one of the nation's main arteries of commerce. More than 500 tons of grain, coal, and other goods pass along its banks every year. With water levels on the Mississippi so low, barges are having trouble getting through creating delays in shipping crucial goods can costing hundreds of millions a day.

The drought of 2012 is shrinking the river. In some places, it's been reduced to half its size. The Army Corp of Engineers is struggling to keep water levels at nine feet, the legal level to keep the Mississippi open for traffic. River levels haven't been this low since the late 1980s, and they're getting dangerously close to breaking the all-time low record.

In one stretch of the Mississippi, several barges got stuck. The situation prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to close an 11-mile section of the river, stranding 97 boats and barges. Dredge operators are hard at work trying to make the water deep enough for the barges to pass through. Barges carrying lighter loads to help navigate the shallow waters. But the less they carry, the more consumers pay. More than 400,000 jobs depend on the flow of traffic in the Mississippi River.

If the Mississippi is forced to close, it will cost the U.S. economy $300 million a day and food prices will soar. Corn and soybean prices are at record highs. The price of corn is up 68 percent from June and soybean prices are up 39 percent.

Drought 2012: Mississippi River On The Verge Of Shut Down

The record-breaking drought of 2012 is drying up the Mississippi River, which is critical for commercial travel. If the shrinkage continues at the current rate, all river traffic could be shut down costing the U.S. $300 million a day in commerce.

The Mississippi River is the highway accounts for 60% percent of grain, 22% of oil and natural gas and 20% of coal transportation.

But its narrowing and shallow waters are forcing barges to stop running or to reduce the weight of the goods they carry which is now showing up at the grocery store – leading to shortages. Areas of the river have dropped 20 feet below normal – and the decline is expected to continue.

If the Mississippi River is closed to all water traffic, goods like grain, oil, natural gas and coal will need to be transported by truck or train – costing the US an additional $300 million a day.

The American Queen Steamboat, which needs eight and a half feet (2.6 meters) of water to float, can no longer navigate the river after getting stuck in a town near Memphis, Tennessee. Its 300 passengers were forced to abandon their river voyage and reach their destination by bus instead.

In some parts of the Mississippi River, the salt water is moving upriver, threatening drinking water extracted from other areas. All river traffic was shut down for 12 hours to give the US Army Corps of Engineers time to try to keep the salt water contained.

In other areas, millions of fish are dying as the bottom of the river transforms into an exposed desert. The river flows into lakes and streams across the US, carrying the devastation to all corners of the Midwest. About 40,000 shovel-nose sturgeon fish were killed in Iowa in one week as water temperatures reached 97 degrees. In Illinois, fish carcasses clogged an intake screen near a power plant, causing it to shut down one of its generators.

But in some areas, dead fish can be found shrivelled up on barren land that used to be underwater.

If the Mississippi River continues to dry out, food shortages will only be part of the concern, as the economy could be slapped by rising cargo transportation prices.