35-The Mighty Mississip!

     Today we tried to get on the boat in St. Paul.  Slight problem...no boat!  The paddle wheeler could only paddle as far as Dubuque, IA.  It seems a barge ran aground somewhere between Dubuque and St. Paul, so the first leg of our voyage was 269 miles overland.  
     Here is where the problem gets interesting.  How does a barge run aground a month after a 50-year flood?  It's all Wisconsin's fault!  A growing industry is 'fracking', and Wisconsin has great sand, essential to all good 'frackers'.  When the sand is mined, there is some runoff.  Where does the runoff go?  You guessed it, the Mississippi.  
     Why couldn't it flow downstream with the rest of the silt?  I suppose some does; just not enough!  A lot of it stays behind to cause headaches for shipping.
      Fracking is a very powerful tool in America's energy quiver.  Some would say too powerful.  Others would say just the right power.  With all power comes responsibility.  If responsible solutions are not timely, fracking is going to be tossed in the dustbin, probably between the Edsel and the eight track cartridge.