The Mississippi River’s high water is impacting operations at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, says Jay Hardman, the port’s executive director.
According to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, the high water, which has been at or above flood levels for a record 135-plus days, prompted the prolonged closure of the port’s grain elevator for at least two months, Hardman says.
The elevator allowed vessels to unload 1,500 pounds of grain in roughly 45 minutes to one hour. Without it, unloading the same amount of grain takes an estimated three hours.