By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The Coast Guard is limiting barge traffic on the Mississippi River near St. Louis. The advisory limits the size and number of vessels on the water as the river reaches near historic lows.
The move affects 185 miles of the Mississippi from St. Louis to Cairo, Ill. Three barges needed towing yesterday near Hartford, Ill. after they went aground. There were no reported injuries.
The Coast Guard says the advisory remains in effect until conditions turn more favorable.
The Army Corps of Engineers says results of a dry fall and below-normal temperatures in mid-January throughout the upper river basin have combined to bring near-historic low Mississippi levels around St. Louis.