Late and heavy snow and resulting snow melt inundated portions of northern Minnesota this year and has affected other areas along the river, as engineers study trends and help cities and towns develop long term solutions
Dry weather in parts of the Midwest have contributed to unusually low river water levels, grounding some barges and requiring emergency dredging, with other waterways affected.
Ship channel's $238-million dredging project passed a key milestone last month as ships began using a new 48-ft draft standard; last phase will relocate or deepen up to six utility pipelines in the remaining 30 miles to Baton Rouge.