By Kortney Scroger
ST. LOUIS, Mo., January 16, 2013--Ever wonder what it would be like to float in the middle of the storied Mississippi River? Today, the Tapped Out documentary team did just that.
Our adventure began just after 8 a.m. Tired of freezing in what feels like arctic conditions to us Northwesterners, all of us were bundled up against the cold, wearing multiple pairs of wool socks and fleece beanies.
We embarked on an hour-long car ride headed South to the small riverbank town of St. Genevieve, Mo. The sight we beheld after our long journey was well worth the wait. It was the vessel we were about to board: The Dredge Potter, a 72-year-old Army Corps of Engineers workhorse that works the river 24/7/365 to keep the shipping lanes open and navigable for commerce.
After shooting some footage from the parking lot, the first challenge was getting to the dock. Because of the Mississippi’s low water levels, the river has receded by some 30 feet.
The MediaLab crew, loaded down with heavy camera equipment, cautiously tottered down a steep rock embankment. Awaiting us was a boat to transport us to the Potter, located out in the middle of the Mississippi.
Capt. Thomas George was our tour guide for the afternoon. When we first began filming George was apprehensive in front of the camera. But once he began talking about the dredge and what he and his 50-person team do each day, it felt as if we became part of his crew.
When we concluded George's formal interview, we went on a tour of the ship, which is four stories tall and more than 1,400 feet long. The captain first took us first to the "dustpan" end of the dredge, where all of the waste picked up from river, such as tree branches and rocks, are deposited.
The objective of a dredge is to clear the river of sediment and debris that could impede traffic. The current low levels of the river require significantly more dredging in order to provide ships with the necessary depths. In an average year, the crew works at roughly 30 sites along a 300-mile stretch of the Mississippi. Because of the Mississippi’s current conditions, the Potter dredged doubled in the past year.
From the dustbin, we headed to the control and engine rooms. Throughout the tour it was evident that Capt. George and his crew truly love their jobs and believe in what they’re doing to help keep the Mississippi River navigable for those who rely on it. Love of their work is a good thing considering they live on this boat for days at a time.
Our ride on the Potter with Capt. George and his crew provided us with countless visuals and some answers to our most burning questions.
But it is becoming apparent that we still have more to learn about water than we ever could have imagined.