In a dramatic and concerning revelation, water levels in the Mississippi River are cascading down to an unprecedented low this week in Memphis, marking a record low for the second consecutive year, consequently disrupting the waning barge traffic. New data purports this troubling downfall as a repercussion of an unforgiving summer and a persistent drought.
The ebbing water levels are allowing saltwater to ascend up the Mississippi River along Louisiana, thereby endangering the drinking water supply for several individuals. By Wednesday afternoon, Memphis witnessed the water level sinking to an alarming minus 11.5 feet, a rare phenomenon that awaits ratification from the US Army Corp of Engineers.
Last year, near the conclusion of October, the Mississippi was noted at a mere minus 10.81 feet. However, the records of the river’s descent do not remain restricted to Memphis, as over the weekend, other cities along the Mississippi and its significant tributary, the Ohio River, also reported record lows.
For months, every major gauge documenting the water level along a massive 400-mile stretch from the Ohio River to Jackson, Mississippi, has unfavorably indicated low-water threshold levels. The plummeting water level poses a significant threat to barge traffic, especially during the pivotal harvest period when indispensable Midwestern crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans transport down the river.
Aggravating this scenario is the inordinate drought which has held the South and Midwest in its cataclysmic clasp, spreading extensively across states like Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi throughout the summer. The drought has been officially named the 24th weather disaster this year, causing damages worth a staggering $1 billion, as per NOAA.
Despite the anticipation of rainfall that might bring a meager relief of a few feet increase in the central and lower Mississippi River, Jeff Graschel, a distinguished hydrologist from the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, expresses that it won’t curtail the current water scarcity issue. A single week of rain wouldn’t significantly amend the situation on the lower part of Mississippi River; it necessitates multiple rain-filled weeks.
The water remnants from recent rains will necessitate approximately a month to flow through Midwest waterways into the Mississippi, eventually winding its way down to the Mississippi-Gulf intersection. Graschel’s projections predict that more considerable relief might surface around November, whereas a comprehensive recovery might not take place until December through May.
Meanwhile, in Louisiana, the scarcity of flow has allowed saltwater to insidiously infiltrate the Mississippi River’s edge. This influx made its way through the water treatment systems, impacting New Orleans and neighboring towns. Officials from the Army Corps of Engineers have been endeavoring to extend an underwater levee in the river to battle the saltwater advancement, while parish officers upstream are striving to construct pipeline systems dedicated to freshwater intake.
While recent rainfall might slightly uplift the water levels in regions like Memphis, it remains inadequate to restore the river’s flow back to its average, or even drive the saltwater wedge entirely back into the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, a separate storm system whelming southern Louisiana this week will play an insignificant role in amending river levels or curbing the assault of saltwater on water supplies.
With a dash of optimism, advancements in the river flows in September have however temporarily stemmed the saltwater’s upstream journey. Subsequently, the Army Corps now anticipates the saltwater to reach the city’s minor water treatment intakes only by late November, with larger water treatment intakes possibly remaining unaffected by saltwater until the end of November, if at all.
