Drought bares mean side of thirsty Miss. River

(AP) Another day, another sandbar to clear on the clogged Mississippi River.

It's a routine that's settled in as the drought in the nation's central states leaves the river without the rainfall that is its lifeblood.

One estimate put barge industry losses at $1 billion the last time the river was this low, in 1988. That's why dredges, which clear the shipping channel, are so vital.

The Dredge Jadwin, a massive-four story U.S. Army Corps of Engineer vessel, is working around the clock to clear channels at Greenville, where a barge ran aground this week.

The Jadwin's quality control officer, Bobby Justice, says crews are dredging spots this years that they don't' usually have to.