Mississippi River dredging costs at issue

Cameron McWhirter over at the Wall Street Journal is reporting (see here) that the recent severe flooding is causing concern about safe navigation of the lower Mississippi River.  The article states that:

In fiscal 2010, the Corps spent $119 million to keep the lower Mississippi dredged. This fiscal year, the Corps budgeted $84 million. Shippers estimate that dredging to normal river depths and widths could cost more than $170 million.

However, McWhirter reports that because of the current budget impasse, efforts to obtain the required increase to cover the needed dredging are moving very slowly.