Mississippi Barge Crisis Set to Deepen as Ohio River Now Sees Backups

The Mississippi River isn’t out of the woods as falling water levels along its major tributaries threaten to deepen a crisis on the US’s main artery for moving vital products.

While one bottleneck may have been eliminated on the Mississippi near Stack Island, additional pressure points are emerging along its more than 2,000 miles as the river falls into low stage, according to the National Weather Service. In Memphis, it has dropped nearly 2 feet since Saturday and is forecast to fall another 2 feet by Oct. 25, which would tie it for the third lowest on record. And now the Ohio River -- which provides about 60% of the Lower Mississippi River’s water -- is seeing closures at multiple locations due to groundings and dredging work.