Mississippi River drying up from drought

Tower+Rock+on+the+River%2C+as+seen+before+the+drought.+%7C+Courtesy+of+Missouri+Department+of+Conservation.

Tower Rock on the River, as seen before the drought. | Courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Mississippi river in the main area of the United States is at a drought. It is in a bad condition. This is the worst drought in at least a decade.   

The river across the basin and dozens of gauges have fallen below their low-water threshold. From Illinois to Louisiana the Mississippi River is at a historic low. The water level is decreasing and will continue to decrease as the forecast remains dry. Many are concerned about the levels dropping. People have drones, and photos of the Mississippi River.   

The river dropped to minus-10.75 feet. The data is from the National Weather Service. Coming out to be the lowest in the State of Memphis. It has been a drought in the Midwest and the South. It is the third-highest value of the year since March. Millions of people have been affected by the drought. In other areas, it is also deteriorating.   

Moisture continues to dry out in some areas like the Ohio Valley and Corn Belt. The soil is Topsoil. In the Mississippi Valley, it remains much lower. Also, there are more rivers that flow with the Mississippi River that is also drying out. The Ohio River, and the Platte River in Nebraska. Some rivers are completely dried out. Throughout this tragedy, the river is so low you can walk on it.  

Levels are low salt water from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping up towards the Mississippi River. The Army is building a 1,500-foot-wide under levee to the salt water out. More places like the Tennessee Valley announced they would release water from the dams to help the levels.  

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ data from their Mississippi River levels website, the river level is currently at –0.35 feet at Vicksburg, but this time last year the river level was at 13.16 feet meaning that the river is almost 13 feet lower than it was a year ago. 

This is a critical time for the Mississippi River. People all hope that the help we have can contribute and get the river back flowing like it was. For more information go to https://www.cnn.com for more details .