KANSAS CITY, Mo - Transportation of commodities along the Missouri River is nearing a standstill as efforts to raise water levels run afoul of laws protecting endangered birds nesting along the dried-out river banks, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official said.
"Right now we are not meeting our navigation targets," said USACE spokesman Paul Johnston. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for the release of water from reservoirs up and down the Missouri River to maintain varying flow levels. The Corps had planned to release water from upstream reservoirs in South Dakota to aid the flow of the drought-stricken Missouri River. Prior to the release, the Corps was going to move the nesting activities of two types of endangered birds - piping plovers and least terns - to help the birds avoid potential harm from increased water levels.
But that plan was scuttled on Friday when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the Corps could not move the birds.
Now, the most river transport operators can do is hope for rain, Johnston said.
Already, with water levels at the bare minimum for barge traffic, some boats have been scraping the bottom, raising concerns about spills into the river, he said.
On Friday alone, there were two reported "bumping" problems because of the low water levels, Johnston said. Two boats were operating from the mouth of the river near St. Louis, Missouri, up to Kansas City, each pushing two barges of liquid asphalt.
"We really don't like the idea of knocking a hole in the bottom of a barge and spilling liquid asphalt into the river," Johnston said.
This time of year, there are a mix of products that move up and down the Missouri River, including fertilizer, cement, asphalt and a mix of grains such as corn, soybeans and wheat.
In Waverly, Missouri, where barges routinely haul corn, beans and wheat downstream, transportation is slowly grinding to a halt, said Mike Otto, branch manager of Central Missouri Agriservices.
"The water is really low. We're having a real hard time," Otto said. "We need more water."
Ordinarily, the Corps would have released water downstream in May to prepare for the summer barge season, when water levels traditionally are low. But this year, the Corps curtailed releases because of the pervasive drought and the need to conserve water for other uses.
Some help is coming for downstream sections of the river as the Corps is lowering levels in three Kansas reservoirs by three feet to augment southern Missouri River flows, Johnston said. But transportation overall is still significantly hindered, he said.
Management of the Missouri River has mired the USACE in a protracted debate between several states and various special interests over how water levels should be moderated.
The Corps had planned to announce a new river management strategy at the end of May, but persistent political pressure delayed the decision indefinitely.
Water drawn from the 2,341-mile-long (3,767 km) Missouri irrigates millions of acres of farmland, provides drinking water, cools homes, fills reservoirs that draw fisherman and hunters, and provides for barge transportation of commodities used by people throughout the United States and abroad.:
