Barge traffic bounces back as Mississippi River rises, ending worries about shipping shutdown

http://www.newser.com/article/da4n6us01/barge-traffic-bounces-back-as-mississippi-river-rises-ending-worries-about-shipping-shutdown.html

"Mississippi River shippers have returned to hauling full loads after several storms and aggressive rock-clearing helped deepen the waterway, eliminating worries about barge traffic shutting down, the river's stewards and barge operators said Wednesday.

Barge operators had lessened their loads as the river's level fell, allowing the barges to sit higher in the water. But there have been concerns for months that if the water level fell much more, all barge traffic could be halted.

The recent reversal of that has the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard declaring victory, though they cautioned the threat to shipping on the vital corridor could return next winter as the nation's worst drought in decades has shown no signs of easing."

It has been a pretty wet winter around Chicago this year. Not so much snow but a lot of rain since January 1.

It seems the drought has eased from Illinois east but Kansas - Nebraska area are still pretty dry.