ST. LOUIS – The flood threat continues from a swelling Mississippi River. Massive amounts of debris being carried down the river have become a prime concern.
Trees along the river are on the frontlines when flooding occurs, bearing the brunt of the Mississippi waters. The rush on incoming water carries large amounts of debris, from tree branches to limbs, from trunks and buoys to trash.
Recreational boating is strongly discouraged due to the obstruction of large debris being carried down the river.
The flood stage of the Mississippi River is 30 feet, and as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the water stood at roughly 29 feet. When the 30-foot threshold is met, the Coast Guard may prohibit all recreational vessel traffic from the Chain of Rocks Canal south entryway to just below the Meramec River.
“Right now, we follow the forecast closely with the help of the Army Corps. We monitor NOAA’s predictions of the weather and just take all the necessary steps that we can in order to follow our waterway action plan and keep everybody who’s on the river safe,” LCDR Sarah Rodino with the United States Coast Guard said.
