Another day, another sandbar to clear on the clogged Mississippi River.
It's a routine that's settled in as the drought in the nation's central states leaves the river without the rainfall that is its lifeblood.
One estimate put barge industry losses at $1 billion the last time the river was this low, in 1988. That's why dredges, which clear the shipping channel, are so vital.
The Dredge Jadwin, a massive-four story U.S. Army Corps of Engineer vessel, is working around the clock to clear channels at Greenville, where a barge ran aground this week.
The Jadwin's quality control officer, Bobby Justice, says crews are dredging spots this year that they don't usually have to.
