Resuspension and lateral movement of sediment due to commercial navigation in the Mississippi River System

The Mississippi River System, including the Ohio, Illinois, and
Missouri Rivers, has been modified for use by commercial traffic. 
Tows with barges, including those transporting to the Great Lakes
System, are used to transport commodities up and down the river. 
Barges moving on the Mississippi River System normally have a
draft of 9 feet, a width of 35 feet, and a length of 195 feet. 
Usually barge configuration on the Upper Mississippi River System
(UMRS) consists of a system of 5 barges tied together and moving
3 abreast.  This results in a planform surface area of 975 square
feet.  Average speed of the barges varies from about 3.5 mph to
about 11 mph.

Research was conducted on the UMRS to determine the physical
impacts of navigation, including the resuspension and lateral
movement of sediment.  This research shows that the movement of
tows with barges increases the suspended sediment concentrations
above the values present within an undisturbed river environment. 
Moreover, the increase in suspended sediment concentration
persists for a period of 60 to 90 minutes after the passage of
the tow.  The increase in sediment concentration is more
significant when the ambient suspended sediment concentration is
low and was found to be higher in shallow and narrow channels
than in deep and wide channels.  Resuspension and lateral
movement of sediment can and will have negative impacts on
sensitive biological habitats, especially those bordering the
navigation channels.