Low water closes two stretches of the Lower Mississippi River to barge traffic

Started

2022-10-04 (4 October 2022)

Ended

2022-10-10 (10 October 2022)

Status

ended

Type

Drought restriction

Severity

2 Moderate

Scope

regional

Chokepoints

None

Ports

South Louisiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge

Lanes

None

Countries

United States

Confidence

medium: The restriction, closure and reopening are reported by the Coast Guard through two press carriers and a Reuters report, but the Coast Guard's own bulletins were not retrieved and the exact reopening day within the weekend of 2022-10-08 to 2022-10-09 is not stated.

First reported

2022-10-05 (5 October 2022)

• Severity basis: Closest rubric match is a stoppage of 24 hours to seven days; the Coast Guard reported a restriction near Stack Island and a closure at Memphis on 2022-10-04 and confirmed both stretches open, with one-way traffic and draft limits, on 2022-10-10.

1. 2022-10-04Barges ground near Stack Island, Mississippi, where a waterway restriction covers river miles 478 to 492, and at Memphis, Tennessee, where the river is closed from mile 686 to mile 676. [s1]
2. 2022-10-05Coast Guard District Eight sets up a Marine Transportation System Recovery Unit with federal, state, local and industry partners. Sector Lower Mississippi River reports eight groundings in the past week. [s1]
3. 2022-10-06More than 100 towboats and tows wait at the two closures while dredging proceeds at Stack Island. A low water advisory covers river miles 303 to 869, and barge operator Ingram declares force majeure for operations downriver of Baton Rouge. [s4]
4. 2022-10-10The Coast Guard says both stretches reopened over the weekend after dredging. A southbound queue of 22 tow boats and 392 barges still waits near Stack Island, and traffic stays one-way. [s5]
5. 2022-10-17The river gauge at Memphis falls to -10.79 feet, the lowest level recorded there since National Weather Service records began in 1954. [s3]

No corrections to this record as of 2026-10-29 (29 October 2026).

1. [s1] L'Observateur (publishing a U.S. Coast Guard news release), Coast Guard responds to barge groundings due to low water levels on Lower Mississippi River, published 2022-10-05 (5 October 2022), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
2. [s2] NOAA, Warm, dry October intensifies U.S. drought, published 2022-11-08 (8 November 2022), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (official)
3. [s3] NASA Earth Observatory, Drought and Barge Backups on the Mississippi, published 2022-10-21 (21 October 2022), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (official)
4. [s4] The Maritime Executive, Lower Mississippi Closed in Two Places Due to Low Water and Groundings, published 2022-10-06 (6 October 2022), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
5. [s5] Reuters (carried by WTVB), Mississippi River reopens to barge traffic after low water closures, published 2022-10-10 (10 October 2022), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)

The address of this record is permanent and a correction is always logged on this page, so a citation names the version you read. Add the date you accessed it.

Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Low water closes two stretches of the Lower Mississippi River to barge traffic." Last updated 2026-10-29 (29 October 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/low-water-closures-lower-mississippi-river-2022/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Low water closes two stretches of the Lower Mississippi River to barge traffic. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/low-water-closures-lower-mississippi-river-2022/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_low_water_closures_lower_mississippi_river_2022,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Low water closes two stretches of the Lower Mississippi River to barge traffic},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-10-29},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/low-water-closures-lower-mississippi-river-2022/}
}