ST. LOUIS, Missouri - Mississippi River barge traffic could be shut down sooner than expected.
The Army Corps of Engineers is considering closing down traffic on the mid-Mississippi River near St. Louis by December 10th if we don't get some good rains soon.
You can thank the summer-long drought for part of the problem.
The Corps says there has not been significant rainfall upriver in our area, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Add to that, water will be diverted from the Missouri River starting December 1st.
It's an annual event that cuts the flow of water into the Mississippi River basin.
The Corps says the river needs a nine foot navigation channel in St. Louis.
Almost 80-percent of the flow passing the Arch in St. Louis comes from the Missouri River.