Lower Mississippi River levels could mean higher prices for consumers

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Due to a month-long lack of rain in the Mississippi Valley, river levels are more than 10 feet below normal, causing cruise ships to run aground and preventing cargo ships and barges from dropping off crops at their destination docks.

Louisiana officials are calling for more dredging of the river to try and ease a problem that they say will wind up costing consumers.

The Mississippi River at Moonwalk Park in New Orleans is around 18 feet lower than normal, exposing rocks that haven’t been seen in a long time.

More: ‘There’s not even 10 feet of water in the middle of the river’: Mississippi River water at historic low levels

River pilots say it’s a problem.

“Right now it’s impossible. You don’t have enough of the dredges to keep up with all these facilities,” said Toby Wattigney with the New Orleans Baton Rouge Pilots’ Association.

The disruption in the supply chain will result in higher prices, according to Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain.

“The bottom line is, we need some rain,” said Strain.

In addition to industrial traffic, commercial traffic is being hindered by the low river.

In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the American Heritage cruise ship remains docked and has had to suspend operations because the water is too low.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson says the low water couldn’t come at a worse time.

“We have all of our crops coming in the Delta,” said Gipson. “Last week, we’d harvested about 95% of our grain in the Delta in Mississippi, for that matter. All of that grain would normally go into an elevator to be loaded on a barge in the Mississippi River and go up and down the River. We have trucks loaded down with grain all over Mississippi waiting, not just Mississippi, Louisiana, all over the country up and down the River waiting to get on those barges.”

River pilots say they’ve never seen anything like it - a river so low that many ships are having to carry 40% less than normal so that they draw less water under dangerous conditions.

“As the water receded, the channel narrows. Right now we’re running through narrow channels,” said Wattigney.

Wattigney says that means that only one vessel at a time can pass through many deeper channels causing further delays in the supply chain.

“It’s dangerous. That makes it quite difficult whenever you run through these low water conditions,” he said.

Those involved in the maritime industry hope for plenty of rain, and soon.

“The only real solution is rainfall,” noted Gipson. “And only the good Lord can do that.”

“At the end of the day we will see higher prices for proteins but we will not know the total impact for the next few weeks,” said Strain.

In the meantime, the Corps of Engineers is working on dredging more of the lower portions of the river.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2022 WVUE. All rights reserved.