Posted on March 7, 2016
By Amy Wold, The Advocate
An early flood on the Mississippi River this year brought with it a large amount of sediment that is slowly filling in vital navigation channels on the lower river.
The extra dirt has cut into the recommended draft for all vessels going through the main navigation channel of Southwest Pass and has had the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calling for earlier than normal dredging operations to keep the waterways open.
Normally, floods occur in the spring, and the Corps plans for the additional sediment when setting up a yearly dredging schedule for the mouth of the river as well as “crossings” of the river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Ricky Boyett, chief of public affairs with the Corps’ New Orleans district, wrote in an email.
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