Washington, 5 September (Argus) — The US Army Corps of Engineers plans a second round of rock removal on the Mississippi river to avoid last year's navigational problems caused by the late-year drop in water levels.
Low water levels are again becoming a problem but have not fallen to the severe levels of last year when shippers and operators feared the river might close. The biggest choke point was around Thebes and Grand Tower, Illinois, and it was resolved by demolishing rock formations in the middle of the river.
Lower water last year led to delays across commodities shipped by barge, including coal, fertilizer, grain, chemicals, petroleum products and crude.
Removing rocks this year from the sides of the waterway will allow for wider tows. Work last year added 2ft to the depth in the area, but tows could not be as wide as normal because rocks remained on the river's sides.
The corps expects to begin the latest rock removal around the Grand Tower area in late November or early December after crews can determine what has changed since last year. The start depends on river levels — the gauge at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, needs to be at 10ft or below. Plans are not final but traffic will probably be restricted in work areas as it was last winter when the corps operated in 12-hour shifts.
The first phase of demolishing rock pinnacles ran from December 2012 to February this year.
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