December 28, 2006
Fox News, St. Louis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- This year's shipping season on the Missouri River was the weakest in 55 years as low water levels forced companies to find other avenues for freight.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates less than 200,000 tons of cargo went down the Missouri on barges, the first time the amount has been that low since 1951.
"We had the lightest year we have ever had," said Roger Harris, vice president of operations for Magnolia Marine in Vicksburg, Miss. "We can't seem to get any water."
For years, rain and snow have been scarce in Montana and North and South Dakota, depleting northern reservoirs along the Missouri and preventing the corps from releasing more water downstream.
In Kansas City, the river has hit record lows, barely covering the city's drinking water intakes.
Corps officials are charged with balancing the interests of agriculture, recreation and environmental preservation with that of barge companies, which have seen cargo totals decline since the 1970s.
Even before the drought, few thought the Missouri would ever become a key transportation route, considering the river's fast current and Kansas City's position as the country's second-largest railroad hub. But the corps has spent millions of dollars to build a stabilized channel and has maintained it for decades.
The theory is that transporting by barge will eventually be cheaper for such goods as agricultural products, fertilizer, asphalt and concrete.
Shipping companies, however, said the river is too unreliable, especially for companies that must have shipping contracts in place by February. If the river provides too little water for barges, those companies are forced to find other, more expensive, ways to move freight.
St. Joseph built a port along the Missouri River in 2002, but a year later, the amount of cargo on the river dipped to 670,000 tons. Only two barges visited the port this year, said Brad Lau of the St. Joseph Port Authority.
Bob Cox, port captain for the Jefferson City River Terminal, said the corps this year ended the shipping season 48 days early, missing the fall harvest.
"This has been discouraging," Cox said. "It has been several years since we had an eight-month season."
Not everyone is complaining, however. Kevin Holcer, marketing and distribution manager for Agri Services of Brunswick, said his company employed a tugboat to push barges upriver when barge companies refused. He said the company will hire a second tugboat if water levels increase next year.
"Even shipping a light draught barge is cheaper than shipping by rail," he said.
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=1897480&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1