Army Corps of Engineers completes rock removal

On February 27, the rock removal operations on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois, were completed.  The drought of 2012 resulted in low water levels on the Mississippi River – particularly in the 180 mile stretch between St. Louis and Cairo over the past three months.  The low water level resulted in the emergence of granite rock pinnacles that restricted the load carrying capacity of barges as well as the number of barges that could be attached as a single flotilla.  

Each year 80 percent of U.S. soybean exports depart between September and February.  Any supply chain disruption during this critical time of the year can impose severe distress on the industry.  

The rock removal was conducted to maintain a 300-foot wide channel with a 9 foot draft. With the rock removal and the increased precipitation in the region over the past couple months, all navigation restrictions in the vicinity have been lifted by the U.S. Coast Guard.  Around 1,000 cubic yards of rock was removed from the river by excavation and blasting. The completed work addressed areas that will have the most immediate impact on the navigation. The Army Corps of Engineers is prepared to conduct additional rock removal as funding and river conditions permit.