Photos Show the Mississippi River Drying Up

The Diamond Lady, a once-majestic riverboat, rests with smaller boats in mud at Riverside Park Marina in Martin Luther King Jr. Riverside Park along the Mississippi River on October 19, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee.

There is no end to the Mississippi River's dry spell. The historically low water levels in the busy waterway are affecting transportation, recreation, and even water quality.

The community south of New Orleans has been warned that the water supply could be contaminated with saltwater. CNN reported that local officials are worried that this could pose health risks for people with chronic health issues. The saltwater entered the community's water supply because water from the Gulf of Mexico flowed into the river. The water in the river is so low that it is hard to keep saltwater out.

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Goods and people have been affected by the low water levels. There was a shortage of barge traffic in October. The barges ran aground in the river, getting stuck in sand and mud that they would have easily sailed over last year, according to the Coast Guard. Several spots along the river had to be dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is bad news for the country's disrupted supply chains that barges had to carry 20% less cargo. The shipping of grain andfertilizer has been slowed down because of this.

Along the Mississippi River, recreation has changed due to the dry spell. Tower Rock is a rock formation in the river that locals can walk along. This area used to only be accessible by boat. The boats are sitting in a small amount of muddy water at some Tennessee marinas. The Diamond Lady can now be seen in the marina.

The U.S. is being battered by a megadrOUGHT. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that there would be a lot of dry weather through the spring and summer. More than half of the country was experiencing some form of dry weather. Climate change and human activity are causing more and more intense droughts.

The country seems to be in for another year of dry weather. La Nia is sticking around for a third year in a row. There might be little respite for the Mississippi River and connecting waterways if states in the Gulf and Southwest see below normal precipitation.

New walkway

People walk to Tower Rock, an attraction normally surrounded by the Mississippi River and only accessible by boat, Oct. 19, 2022, in Perry County, Mo.

Uncovered shores

People walk across a sand bar exposed by low water on the Mississippi River on October 19, 2022 in Helena, Arkansas.

Disrupted shipping

In this aerial view, barges, stranded by low water sit at the Port of Rosedale along the Mississippi River on October 20, 2022 in Rosedale, Mississippi.

Muddy marinas

Boats rest in mud at Riverside Park Marina in Martin Luther King Jr. Riverside Park along the Mississippi River on October 19, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. Lack of rain in the Ohio River Valley and along the Upper Mississippi has the Mississippi River south of the confluence of the Ohio River nearing record low levels.

No more boating

Boats rest in mud at Mud Island Marina as the water on the Mississippi River continues to recede on October 19, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Uncovered riverbed

People walk toward Tower Rock to check out the attraction normally surrounded by the Mississippi River and only accessible by boat, Oct. 19, 2022, in Perry County, Mo.

Uncovered sunken ships

A man walking along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, La., stops to look at a shipwreck revealed by the low water level, Oct. 17, 2022. Archaeologists believe the ship sunk in the late 1800s to early 1900s.