Jeff Flock: Flooding Mississippi River closed to barge traffic

Jeff Flock

Q: What is the current situation?

FLOCK: At present the Mississippi has been closed because of the high water for the past two weeks. Right now estimates are that as many as 2,000 barges have been caught above Muscatine, Iowa and are now sitting between Muscatine and St. Paul, Minnesota. That, along with about 100 of the towboats that would be typically pushing them up and down the river.

The river is closed because of concerns about causing wake and doing damage to the flooded towns along the Mississippi. The belief is that because the river levels are going to recede so slowly that it will be another two or perhaps three weeks before the levels have come down enough to resume large traffic.

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Q: How has the area changed since you have been there?

FLOCK: Out behind our hotel, we would watch the approach of the river. It is now clearly headed in the other direction, but very very slowly. It seems clear that the floodwaters will continue to be up on the makeshift levee that is protecting Davenport’s downtown for several more days.

Q: What is the current mood of those involved?

FLOCK: We talked to the people who help run Alter Barge Line and Black Hawk fleet, companies that help move barges up and down the Mississippi. They estimate that they are losing more than $50,000 a day as a result of their business being idle.

This is the prime time to be shipping fertilizer up river as we near spring planting season. Those barges are then loaded with grain and then shipped back down. And all of that right now has come to a halt.

Q: How long might it take for things to return to normal?

FLOCK: The Army Corps of Engineers is telling the barge companies that it will be perhaps until May 20 before the lock and dam system is ready to reopen and barge traffic can resume on the Mississippi.

Q: Any final thoughts?

FLOCK: The long-term impact of this may well be that when the river does reopen there is such a backlog of commodities to be shipped as well as unloaded that shipping rates will increase. Ultimately, this will impact the farmers and grain companies who will have to pay more to ship commodities down the river. So the impact of this flood may be felt for months to come.

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River crests earlier than expected in Davenport
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Mississippi breaches levee in town near Davenport
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Iowa levees feel weight of Mississippi
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More rain forecast for flooded Midwest
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Long weekend of rain threatens flooded Midwest
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