Weather.com - Jim Salter and Jim Suhr, 11/18/12
Barges power their way up the Mississippi River on Friday, Nov. 16 in St. Louis. The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the release of water from an upper Mississippi River reservoir in an effort to avoid closure of the river at St. Louis to barge traffic due to low water levels caused by drought. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
ST. LOUIS — The gentle whir of passing barges is as much a part of life in St. Louis as the Gateway Arch and the Cardinals, a constant, almost soothing backdrop to a community intricately intertwined with the Mississippi River.
But next month, those barges packing such necessities as coal, farm products and petroleum could instead be parked along the river's banks. The stubborn drought that has gripped the Midwest for much of the year has left the Mighty Mississippi critically low — and it will get even lower if the Army Corps of Engineers presses ahead with plans to reduce the flow from a Missouri River dam.
To read the rest of this story, visit Weather.com.
