Extraordinarily low water levels in the middle reaches of the Mississippi River have complicated barge service and forced companies that supply, deliver and use aggregate and other barge-delivered construction materials to scramble and get creative, sources at those companies said last week.
Still, they said that, in nearly all cases, construction contractors have been able to secure required materials when they are needed and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing all it can to maintain acceptable water levels and minimize barge-flow disruptions.