MEMPHIS, Tenn. — To help maintain the Mississippi River, dredging has begun to remove sediment from the navigation channel to make sure commercial barges have safe passage.

This comes as the river is seeing low levels and exposing pop-up beaches in Memphis.

If you take a walk along the Mississippi River, you can’t help but notice the low water levels,

Some beaches are around the river are now exposed like one off of Mud Island Park.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District has contracted a dredging company for $11.5 million for annual dredging and removing sediment in 10 Mississippi River Harbors.

The Corps of Engineers said maintenance efforts like these are crucial for river traffic to run smoothly as commercial barges carry millions of dollars in needed goods.

“Yeah, it’s a little low. I heard they’re dredging so (that’s) interesting to see,” resident Jim Riendeau said. “I like to see the boats going up and down, so I don’t want that to impede anything.”

A couple who walks the river daily with their two dogs, Stella and Scoot, and their cat Sprout, watch the water levels rise and fall.

“We’ve kinda seen it when it’s at its highest and now it’s getting back to really low,” Warren Treon said.

“We’ve been taking pictures at the other end every couple of months and we can see the water coming up and down,” Shannon Di Virgilio said.

But they told WREG that they encourage anyone thinking of getting close to the water to be safe.

“There’s a lot more trash and stuff along the banks and we don’t want the dogs and the cat getting into that because we don’t know what’s down there, how long it’s been there,” Treon said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says dredge work started July 1 and is expected to finish no later than January 2025.

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