Unpredictable and low water flow levels that have impeded barge traffic on the Missouri River for nearly a decade are leveling, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said last week.

That has reinvigorated prospects that freight operators will return to higher river waters since they won't scuff the bottom of their barges. The St. Joseph Regional Port Authority has not had a barge dock at its port in nearly two years.

"Hopefully, we continue to have adequate rainfall in the north, which would mean consistent navigation on the Missouri River," said Brad Lau of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce, which works alongside the port authority.

In the 1990s, Army Corps projects made the Missouri River narrower and straighter, which is good for barge traffic. Bountiful runoff from rain and snow have now refilled most Missouri River reservoirs.

A reservoir storage check on July 1 showed enough water to meet nearly all river needs for both upstream and downstream users, the Army Corps said.

The commercial navigation season began in April and typically ends in late October. Mr. Lau doesn't expect to see a barge in St. Joseph this season.

However, the amenable water flow levels and a national focus toward using natural navigation systems to move freight makes future prospects good, Mr. Lau said. Still, that return to the river will take time.

"This is the first time in 10 years that we've had normal navigation, and over that period operators have quit coming," Mr. Lau said. "It's probably going to take a while for barge operators and companies to get some reliance, some certainty that they can rely on the Missouri River."

Mr. Lau said five or six barges have docked in St. Joseph since the port opened in 2002.

Ahmad Safi can be reached

at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.