The Mississippi is perhaps one of America’s most mythical rivers. With a length of 3770 kilometers it is the second longest river in the country, meandering from its place of origin, the Late Itasca in northern Minnesota, past ten states to the south of the country, where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The first traces of indigenous life can be found on its banks as early as 4000 years before Christ. During the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 it was an important strategic target for the Northern States, but also for the Confederates. Last but not least, the river became known worldwide through Mark Twain’s masterpiece “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, in which the young Huck rafts down the Mississippi together with the slave Jim. But now America is worried about the electricity, because a long drought in the north and midwest of the country has caused levels to fall to record highs.
It hasn’t rained much in almost every state along the river for months. A third of the rain otherwise ends up in the Mississippi via the tributaries, but where there is no rain there is hardly any water supply. And that affects shipping enormously. According to the US Coast Guard, eight barges ran aground within a week at the beginning of October, and river cruises also had to be canceled due to the low water levels – but the situation has not improved since the beginning of October. A look at the water levels in some regions shows how much of an impact this has.
Salt water enters the Mississippi
In New Orleans, just before the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the water level was just under 3.5 feet (around 1.06 meters) on Saturday. Other regions are even more affected. The “Washington Post” already reported in mid-October that in some places the water levels are given with a negative value – an indication of how low the water is below its normal level. The situation was similar during the drought in Germany in the summer, where negative water levels were also measured on the Rhine. Of the National Weather Service, the United States Weather Service, put the water level in Memphis on Saturday at almost minus 10 feet, lower only in 1988 at minus 10.7 feet. If the level drops below minus twelve feet, shipping must be stopped at the point. Brady Dennis, a Washington Post journalist, shared a video of himself standing on the dry ground of a yacht club with boats lying on muddy ground in the background. Normally, the harbor was part of the river, and the highest water levels were 15 feet (around 4.50 meters).
But the drought also has drastic consequences for the people who live along the river. As the “Washington Post” and other US media reported, the low water level in Louisiana is causing the salty seawater of the Gulf of Mexico to flow inland and endanger the drinking water supply. Plaquemines Parish, a district in southern Louisiana, has already called for a state of emergency and published drinking water instructions, according to “NPR”. Benny Rouselle, councilman in the district, said salt water had already entered two water treatment plants. Alarm bells are also ringing in the rest of the state as engineers try to build an underwater dam to stop the encroaching salt water.
Farmers fear for corn and soy
However, there are also problems on other parts of the river, because the Mississippi is also a source of income for many farmers. According to the US Department of Agriculture around 60 percent of the corn and soybean harvest destined for export are transported across the river. The value of the goods is estimated at around 17.2 billion dollars. However, with the lower water levels, the ships cannot go, or only in significantly reduced numbers, and transport by rail is not possible in many places because the transport routes have to be booked in the spring.
For many residents and tourists, the dried-up river bed has also become an attraction. “My son is seven years old and I told him we had to come here because we might never see anything like this again in our lives,” Jarrod Tipton told the Washington Post. The water is so low that you can almost walk straight into Tennessee. An 11-year-old boy discovered the wreckage of a late 19th-century ship near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In Missouri, people climb Tower Rock, a rock formation that can otherwise only be reached by boat. It seems certain that they will be able to continue climbing the stones in the coming weeks. Because rain is still not predicted.
Sources: Washington Post (1), Washington Post (2), NPR, AP, The Advocate, United States Geological Service