Barge Traffic on Mississippi Resumes Slowly

The Mississippi River was open to barge traffic along its entire course Monday for the first time since floodwaters began knocking out lock and dam operations nearly two months ago.

But high water remaining from the record summer flood forced officials to impose speed and other restrictions.

The Mississippi between Minneapolis and St. Louis was open in both directions, but several areas will have to be closed occasionally for dredging, said Capt. Robert Luchun of the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Louis.

Traffic from St. Louis south to Cairo, Ill., has resumed “under certain restrictions,” Luchun said. From Cairo north, vessels can move north at no more than 4 m.p.h. and tows must travel two hours apart.

The speed limit was imposed to minimize wakes that could damage or overflow levees weakened by flooding, Luchun said.

On June 24 and 25 heavy rainfall in the upper reaches of the Mississippi watershed forced the first locks to close. Within days, barge traffic was halted from St. Louis north to Minneapolis as rising waters overwhelmed navigation systems.

The flood eventually turned into a multibillion-dollar disaster that forced thousands from their homes and damaged businesses across the valley. Flooding and heavy rainfall also swamped thousands of acres of farmland.

The Missouri River is open to travel with minor restrictions, Luchun said.

Estimates by the states affected put the loss from floods at $12 billion--$7 billion in agriculture and $5 billion in property, officials said.

On Monday, federal disaster experts began a 10-day review of the National Weather Service’s performance in connection with the flooding.

The team will fan out across the seven affected states to find ways to improve preparedness for the next natural disaster, said Diana Josephson, the team leader and a deputy in the U.S. Commerce Department. “In general, things went very well, but we may find details of a glitch here or a glitch there,” she said.

The team is made up of officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Corps of Engineers.