COAST GUARD OPENS RIVER TO BARGE TRAFFIC

The U.S. Coast Guard in St. Louis gave the green light for Mississippi barge traffic to resume travel on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., at a release rate of one vessel per hour.

The Coast Guard opened up the Mississippi to barge traffic heading north from Cairo at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Two test tow boats were sent north from Cairo at 9 a.m. Monday to determine if it was safe to open the river up.

St. Louis barge traffic began heading south at 6 p.m. Sunday night.

When the test showed that the levees along the Mississippi from Cairo to Ste. Genevieve could withstand the barge traffic, the Coast Guard opened the river.

"The reason for the one-hour spacing of barge traffic is to keep them from passing or overtaking each other," St. Louis U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Fred Niermann said. "There is a concern with how the traffic would affect the fragile levees at Ste. Genevieve, Kimswick and Commerce."

Niermann said too much barge traffic would create wakes that would threaten the stability of the levees.

Approximately 18 barges were headed toward Cairo from St. Louis Monday morning.

Some 106 towboats were moored in and around Cairo Monday morning. Coast Guard officials estimate that more than 2,000 barges at various points south of Cairo have been moored for nearly three weeks.

As barge traffic began anew, recovery from the flood of 1995 continued on land.

Residents of Commerce, Dutchtown and Cape Girardeau have returned to their homes and started the cleanup process.

Ron MacCubbin, Director of Emergency Services for the Red Cross, said Monday was one of the slowest days the agency office experienced in the past three weeks.

"We're providing cleanup supplies and helping people get moved into rental property," MacCubbin said.

Highway 74 has been opened up at Dutchtown as has Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau.

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau was at 40.5 and falling Monday. The river is expected to drop to 39 feet by Thursday or Friday. Flood stage in Cape Girardeau is 32 feet.

The Public Works Department sent a street crew that typically is used to flush out clogged sewers to the Red Star District to hose down muddy streets.

Assistant Public Works Director Kevin McMeel said a new sewer vactor machine that attaches to public works trucks can double for flood cleanup. The truck is equipped with hoses and a vacuum pump.

"Instead of attaching hoses to fire hydrants, the sewer vactor can flush streets in a much more efficient manner because it's mobile," McMeel said.

The sewer vactor truck was purchased last year at a cost of $140,000.

"Each time the river goes down, we move further along in the cleanup process," McMeel said.

Streets in the Red Start District that are still closed to traffic include Main Street from Second to Mill Streets.

Water Street is closed at Fourth street for a few blocks. Rand Street is closed. North End Boulevard is closed between Chestnut and Fountain.

South Sprigg Street is closed between the 1600 and 2200 blocks. Second street is closed at Spanish.