Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (November 2020)

31 33

COLUMN

Historic Dredging Unlocks the

Might of the Mississippi

Humanity will forever remember 2020 as the “Year of utilized to measure ? ood waters is an “acre foot”, equaling

COVID-19” fraught with the pains of a pandemic and its approximately 326,000 gallons of water, the amount an acre impacts on our physical and mental health. Yet, as a naviga- of land would hold if covered throughout in one cubic foot tion representative along the Mississippi River Ship Chan- of water. The Great Flood of 2019 passed 185,000 acre feet nel (MRSC), I will always be able to see the bright side. more than the signi? cant ? ood of 1973 and over 210,000

In this case, that is life outside of COVID. The Mississip- acre feet more than in 1927 – a ? ood that forever changed pi River Ship Channel Deepening began in 2020, oddly our nation and the management of this river system. enough on another date tied forever to a tragic time in our The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin- history. As a major focus for the Big River Coalition, the istration (NOAA) con? rmed that the nation experienced project to deepen the ship channel to 50 feet was one that I the wettest 12-month period in recorded history, going worked on for eight years prior to the of? cial start of dredg- back 124 years to 1895 when records began being kept. ing on September 11, 2020. Yet the euphoria of success was In 2019, there was a lot of focus on the ship channel, and numbed by the state of the pandemic. And while there were leaders looked to the Big River Coalition for insight. We no parties to celebrate, the event remains historic. strive to never waste a good emergency, and this spotlight

The deepening is the ? agship of improvements designed meant we were expected to propose real solutions. The re- to maximize the effectiveness of maritime commerce on sponse we campaigned was titled Full Funding Floats All the Mighty Mississippi, our nation’s river linking 31 states Boats, and it requested an increase in federal funding to al- to international trade. In many ways it remains true that low the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to better the Mississippi River feeds the world. The river composed respond to channel maintenance. of over 250 tributaries combines more miles of navigable Full Funding Floats All Boats was designed to increase waterways than the rest of the world combined. Projec- the USACE’s ability to maintain authorized channel di- tions are that the ship channel deepening will eventually mensions of the MRSC. The Big River Coalition estimates capture another 20% of U.S. grain exports, raising the that $200 million in annual funding would enhance the totals from approximately 60% to over 80% of all U.S. USACE’s ability to restore and maintain Congressionally agricultural exports. The Mississippi is also the only place authorized channel dimensions. The bene? t of knowing in the world where a major navigable waterway is directly what the ? nal budget is provides surety in response versus linked to a large productive agricultural zone – 350 mil- having to wait until funding was available and ? ood-driv- lion acres of farmland are within 250 miles of the Missis- en shoaling had already started. sippi River and tributaries. The Coalition’s promotion focused on increasing the

It should be no surprise that there are improvements in President’s budget request, the starting point for the na- the works for the ship channel as The Great Flood of 2019 tion’s federal budget process, which remains in the range led to calls to “Fix Southwest Pass”. I often refer to South- of $90 million – although 10 years ago it averaged about west Pass as “the revolving door to international trade.” $65 million. Thankfully, the U.S. Congress heard our

Many are surprised to hear that more water was passed pleas and committed signi? cant supplemental funding down the Mississippi River during 2019 than in any other through the USACE Work Plan and supplemental fund- year, shattering not just eclipsing other renowned ? oods ing. Con? rmation for the Coalition’s ? nancial target was like those of 1927 and 1973. An important measurement that over $200 million was appropriated in both ? scal year

November 2020 32 MN