Page 40: of Marine News Magazine (November 2012)

The summer of 2012 brought drought and poor navigating conditions to the inland waterways. Low water levels continued into the fall and threaten to move into winter, but the event has demonstrated how barge industry and government relations have changed over the years and what challenges remain. ?We?ve gone from the Great Flood to the Great Drought,? said Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President at Ingram Barge Company. Water gauges on the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tenn. were 50 feet lower this year than they had been one year ago during the 2011  ood. If you want a silver lining, it could be that the industry ?had a lot of practice working with the Corp and the Coast Guard last year with the high water,? said Lynn Muench, Senior Vice President of Regional Advocacy at the American Waterways Operators (AWO). Because of last year?s  ood, many resources and communication strategies were already in place to deal with this year?s poor river conditions. Austin Golding of Golding Barge Line said ?the Corp has done a fantastic job of getting out to reported areas and dredging.? Golding sits on the AWO?s board for southern regions. His approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? (USACE) management of the drought is largely shared by the rest of the industry, except when it comes to the  ow of the Missouri River into the Mississippi. ?This year our concern is that the Corp has been reducing the  ow from the Missouri River,? Mecklenborg said, directly impacting the middle section of the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Mo. and Cairo, Ill. ?We?re concerned that we could end up with low water through December.? Poor Conditions, Poor Conditions, Better Co Better Co mmunications mmunications Industry and the federal government continue to work together to improve less than optimal conditions on the U.S. inland waterways. Measurable, although slow progress is being achieved. By Raina Clark November 201240 MNMNNov2012 Layout 32-49.indd 40MNNov2012 Layout 32-49.indd 4011/6/2012 3:16:26 PM11/6/2012 3:16:26 PM