Traffic on the Mississippi

[NCB]

Nice pics Nate. Looks like fun riding on the Mighty Mississippi.

I'd imagine its gotta be pretty cool. The river was pretty clear of ships that day, so it was probably much easier(and safer) for smaller private boats to get around.

[EbonyGardens]

Are some sections of the river safe for swimming or is it a no-no due to the high volume of pollutants?

[byrde]

Are some sections of the river safe for swimming or is it a no-no due to the high volume of pollutants?

It is not safe to swim in the river due to the strong current in the river.

Yea, I guess it all comes down to what you're used to seeing. I've been seeing those large vessels my whole life, and along with everyone around here, have always called them barges. While it might be the exact opposite for you.

Everything you have posted would be considered Ships in my book. The pic of private boats ^^^ on the river has a barge in the background.

[NCB]

Are some sections of the river safe for swimming or is it a no-no due to the high volume of pollutants?

The most dangerous thing about swimming in the Mississippi is the current. The under-current is usually very strong in the Mississippi, and most people would drown in the river if they tried to swim. We have multiple ocassions every year where groups of people ventured into the Mississippi to swim, both kids and adults, and many ended up drowning. And even without the current, I would never go swimming in there. The river is lined with oil and chemical plants south of New Orleans, and it is polluted with all kinds of chemicals and fertilizers coming down the river from farms in the Midwest, mostly from the outflow of the Ohio River. Not to mention the stuff that gets washed into the river all the way through the country after floods or heavy rain.

[Mith242]

The most dangerous thing about swimming in the Mississippi is the current. The under-current is usually very strong in the Mississippi, and most people would drown in the river if they tried to swim. We have multiple ocassions every year where groups of people ventured into the Mississippi to swim, both kids and adults, and many ended up drowning. And even without the current, I would never go swimming in there. The river is lined with oil and chemical plants south of New Orleans, and it is polluted with all kinds of chemicals and fertilizers coming down the river from farms in the Midwest, mostly from the outflow of the Ohio River. Not to mention the stuff that gets washed into the river all the way through the country after floods or heavy rain.

I would imagine it's not particularly clean. But the same can be said of the Arkansas River. I doubt anyone would suggest swiming in either but I don't know if it's against any laws. Seems like you'll have someone die in the Arkansas River every once in a while because of the undercurrents.

[NCB]

I got plenty of pictures of "traffic on the Mississippi" on my photo tour of the city Saturday, and I thought I'd share them with you guys. I'll use the same title to start this set of pictures as I did in my "New Orleans" thread, as I think it says it all..

The Largest Port in the Western Hemisphere

For lack of a better term, this was a big ass boat!

The Gateway to America

And what makes this even more impressive, is the fact that all of these pictures span a time period of less than 20 minutes, and I have even more that I'll post later.

[UptownNewOrleans]

Are some sections of the river safe for swimming or is it a no-no due to the high volume of pollutants?

I wouldn't recommend swimming in the Mississippi River or any river at all. Rivers are generally filthy with who knows what. You could be swimming in human waste, oil or other pollutants. The MS River has some STRONG currents and if you get caught in one, you're done for.