Dropping water level on the Mississippi?
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2022 6:45 am
Hi All
Had an interesting conversation the other day as boats were being hauled out for the winter at Lake Champlain.
An owner mentioned that they have been working their way around “The Loop” (circumnavigation of the Eastern United States) but time and circumstances had them deciding to layup for the winter up in Vermont to hopefully continue their voyages in the spring of 2023 after they had been leisurely traveling northward along the East Coast for several months then up the Hudson across the Champlain Canal into Lake Champlain and decided that they would take a winter break. They weren’t in a hurry so and it didn’t seem like much fun for them to play icebreaker… “could be a bit rough on the gelcoat”
.
Curious, I asked about their journey, what they had enjoyed, learned and problems to be anticipated. Interestingly, one concern was the continuing decline in the water level of the Mississippi River and its potential impact on their “Loop” plans.
Apparently river water levels have dropping narrowing the available channel space, exposing mud flats and congested river traffic with commercial bulk carriers.
I guess I’ve been in a bit of a bubble as I’d obviously not been following that topic lately.
Here a link to an article I found interesting:
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/15/weat ... index.html
Apparently this has been an increasingly item of concern over the years. I’d previously only recalled how the flooding events had inundated various regions along the Mississippi, not that it was drying up.
Just something of interest….
Best Regards,
Over Easy
Had an interesting conversation the other day as boats were being hauled out for the winter at Lake Champlain.
An owner mentioned that they have been working their way around “The Loop” (circumnavigation of the Eastern United States) but time and circumstances had them deciding to layup for the winter up in Vermont to hopefully continue their voyages in the spring of 2023 after they had been leisurely traveling northward along the East Coast for several months then up the Hudson across the Champlain Canal into Lake Champlain and decided that they would take a winter break. They weren’t in a hurry so and it didn’t seem like much fun for them to play icebreaker… “could be a bit rough on the gelcoat”
. Curious, I asked about their journey, what they had enjoyed, learned and problems to be anticipated. Interestingly, one concern was the continuing decline in the water level of the Mississippi River and its potential impact on their “Loop” plans.
Apparently river water levels have dropping narrowing the available channel space, exposing mud flats and congested river traffic with commercial bulk carriers.
I guess I’ve been in a bit of a bubble as I’d obviously not been following that topic lately.Here a link to an article I found interesting:
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/15/weat ... index.html
Apparently this has been an increasingly item of concern over the years. I’d previously only recalled how the flooding events had inundated various regions along the Mississippi, not that it was drying up.
Just something of interest….
Best Regards,
Over Easy
And it just seems to get shallower…