Mississippi River drought expected to last through winter
A persistent drought this summer left the dry ground thirsty, so it absorbed much of the water that would have eventually reached creeks or streams on its journey to the Mississippi, said Mike Welvaert, a hydrologist at the North Central River Forecast Center. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Since June, the Army Corps of Engineers has spent $38 million maintaining the Mississippi River channel, mostly through dredging the equivalent of 5,000 Olympic-sized pools of sediment.
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Mississippi River droughtKeely Brewer
Keely Brewer is a Report for America corps member covering environmental impacts on communities of color in Memphis. She is working in partnership with the Ag & Water Desk, a sustainable reporting network aimed at telling water and agriculture stories across the Mississippi River Basin.
Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk
The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri, in partnership with Report For America and the Society of Environmental Journalists, funded by the Walton Family Foundation. The Daily Memphian is a member of the reporting network.
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