Ergon Marine this morning suspended its fleet operations in the Yazoo Diversion Canal due to the swift current created by high runoff from the nearly 5 inches of rain that have fallen in Vicksburg since Wednesday.

“I’m already getting some flack for it, but it’s a safety issue,” said Ergon Fleet Manager Albert Smith, who added the number of barges Ergon delivers and ships out of the Port of Vicksburg varies from day to day. “I’ve tried to get e-mails out quick enough so any barges being brought here can be dropped off elsewhere until the water subsides.” 

Lt. Teresa Hatfiled, Coast Guard supervisor of marine safety detachment in Vicksburg, said the Coast Guard continues to monitor the current on the canal, but has yet to issue any restrictions on all barge travel.

“We are issuing a broadcast notice to mariners letting the vessels know that the current is very swift where the Yazoo comes out into the Mississippi River and could pose a danger as they navigate the bend,” she said.

Smith said it is only the second time in his 34-year career that he has seen operations on the canal suspended due to rapid currents and estimated Ergon would not move barges through the canal for at least three days.

“There’s no one moving up or down the canal at this point except a few light boats,” Smith said this morning. “It’s just not feasible.”

Waylon Hill, civil engineering technician in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Control Division, said heavy rains across the state paired with a low Mississippi River have created swift currents and some flooding on all tributaries in the Yazoo River Basin. Flood warnings are also out for the Big Black, which runs along Warren County’s eastern border and empties into the Mississippi downstream from Vicksburg.

“The water velocity is very, very high right now. I have only seen conditions like these about four times since I started here in 1978,” Hill said. “It will take about five days for the tributaries to run out.”

The Mississippi River stage at Vicksburg this morning was 10 feet, a rise of 2.3 feet in a 24-hour period. Flood stage at the city is 43 feet.

Vicksburg received 4.55 inches of rain in a three day period through this morning, said Hill, while about 6.8 inches fell over Yazoo City and Holly Bluff. The Yazoo River at Yazoo City is believed to have crested Thursday night at 29.7 feet, or 0.7 feet over flood stage. The Big Black River at Bentonia is cresting this morning at 25.5 feet, well over flood stage of 22 feet.

Hatfield said no accidents or major problems have been reported on the canal due to the rising water and current as of this morning. However, some pieces of flexible dredge piping were carried down the canal Thursday afternoon by the current and got caught up on a pier of the U.S. 80 bridge over the Mississippi River.

“It did not pose a hazard to navigation at any point,” she said. “It was retrieved, and they were able to move it back up into the harbor and tie it off to the shore.”

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.