US inland waterway operators are warning against a scheduled halt to Missouri river flows this month, saying it could make drafts too shallow for barge traffic on the droughtstricken Mississippi river from St. Louis to Cairo, Illinois. A severe drought has limited barge drafts to 9ft on the Mississippi south to New Orleans, and operators say cuts to 8ft would make it unworkable for operators with boats of drafts of more than 9ft. Profit margins will disappear on the lighter loads, they warn.
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