Governor Jay Nixon (D) says his administration is keeping tabs on river levels along the Missouri and Mississippi as drought conditions persist across the state. He indicates that the Missouri River may be in worse shape.
“I think that the challenges on the Missouri are a little more significant than the Mississippi," Nixon said at a gathering Wednesday in Jefferson City. "Minnesota has had a fair amount of rain in that part of the country, but we’re watching those issues very carefully.”
Nixon also told reporters that low river levels could lead to lighter loads on barges to insure that they don’t run aground. Barge operators say the Mississippi river is about 12 to 13 feet below normal at St. Louis, and in some spots river traffic is down to one lane.