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This is a warning: Officials say stay off sandbars
Published 12:03am Wednesday, July 18, 2012VIDALIA — As Mississippi River levels begin falling again to reach a projected 10 feet in August, officials are urging residents to stay off sandbars that appear with the low water levels — or prepare to receive a fine.
The river level at Natchez was 12.5 feet on Tuesday — an increase in levels from previous weeks due to heavy rainfall upriver.
But as the hot summer months continue, the river is expected to see another decline — reaching 10 feet in early August and even lower levels in September.
- BEN HILLYER | The Natchez Democrat
“Without any significant rainfall, the river levels at Natchez could drop below the 10-foot mark,” meteorologist Latrice Maxie said. “Natchez isn’t as low as some of the other areas to the north, but the levels will continue to fall in these hot and dry months.”
With the river this low, the channels are shallower and narrower, presenting problems for barges and pedestrians thinking they can get an up-close perspective of the river.
“Anything that’s been traditionally covered or underwater for the good part of this year, I would be concerned with people stepping out on,” Maxie said. “Those areas are highly unpredictable.”
Similar to warnings and citations issued for being on the levee during last year’s 61.9 feet water levels, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said residents who venture out onto sandbars or close to the river present a safety issue.
“We’ve told people not to come on the sand areas near the riverfront because it could collapse, and it’s an extremely dangerous factor,” Copeland said. “It’s a verbal warning right now, but if residents don’t comply, we’ll start writing tickets.
“I don’t want to lose any lives like that.”
Differentiating between the bottom of the river and a recently exposed sandbar can prove costly for curious river viewers, U.S. Coast Guard Master Chief Randy Merrick said.
“These sandbars just drop off at some point,” Merrick said. “They don’t really fade out gradually like most people think they do — they just drop, so it’s kind of deceiving.
“And just because the river levels are low, doesn’t mean the river doesn’t have a current.”
And for those traveling the river by boat, Merrick said restrictions are placed on the amount of cargo a barge can carry to restrict its tow depth during the low river levels.
“The barges are drafting 9 1/2 feet (tow) instead of normally drafting 12 feet (tow),” Merrick said. “We’re also having to move the buoys farther away from shore to give the mariners a channel.”
Unlike strict no-speed zones and restrictions that were in place during last year’s flood to prevent wakes from crashing up on shore, Merrick said the wake isn’t as severe during low water levels.
“The boats are running a little slower, but it’s more so they don’t get stuck on the sandbars,” Merrick said. “The mariners know the river is low, and they’re driving slow and taking their time.”
Adams County Emergency Management Director Stan Owens said thankfully no incidents involving residents, or barges, affected by the river at Natchez have occurred yet, but that shouldn’t lower the threat of something occurring.
“These sandbars essentially build up on top of an underwater river channel, so they can collapse at any time,” Owens said. “People just need to be careful at all times when dealing with the river.”
