The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents of Iowa and other Midwest states to avoid contact with floodwater, because it could be contaminated with sewage or other hazardous substances. Raw sewage and livestock manure is now flowing into rivers and streams because wastewater facilities have been inundated by the record floods. Parts of the Mississippi River are continuing to rise, raising new concerns. On Tuesday, a levee near Gulfport, Illinois burst. Meanwhile, agribusiness analysts say consumers will soon feel the effect of the flooding as the price of corn increases.

Richard Gilmore, President and CEO of the GIC Group: “There is a big loss in the emergence and growth of our corn. And at least two million acres have been affected. The range I’ve seen is between two to four million acres. And the last crop report took US production figures down — they dropped 380 million bushels. That was actually before the most severe effects of the flood. So, we are talking about a potential of a loss of over 650 million bushels if — and this is a big, big if — if they can’t replant.”