Army Corps Able to Clear Rocks From Mississippi River

By CnAgri Print

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, in its largest such undertaking in at least 25 years, began clearing a shallow stretch of the drought-hit Mississippi River of rocks impeding the flow of billions of dollars' worth of goods to the Gulf Coast. The Mississippi is near record-low levels due to the worst U.S. drought since 1956.

According to Reuters, the Army Corp is using a fleet of excavators and barges with extensions that allow the vessels to 'stand' on the river bed, the Corps began its task to remove 900 cubic yards of limestone stretching over six miles near Thebes, Illinois.

The work, which could take a month to 45 days to complete, is expected to hamper the movement of barges carrying grain from production centers to export terminals at the U.S. Gulf as well as upriver shipments of fertilizer, coal and road salt.

"Right now they're removing rocks through mechanical means using spud barges and excavators," said Army Corps spokesman Mike Petersen, referring to barges with 'legs.' "They also have a piece of equipment called a hydrohammer, basically a huge aquatic jackhammer, to break up bigger chunks of rock for excavation."

Petersen says the water is so low right now that an excavator can reach down to the very bottom and knock these rock pinnacles down.

The next phase of the excavation would involve the use of explosives to break up the rocks at that stretch.