A Ball State University study in collaboration with Virginia Tech says part of that may be due to less agricultural land bordering the river and more forests.

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission had proposed getting rid of its pollution control standards last year, but reversed course after public backlash.

After hearing more than 5,000 public comments urging ORSANCO not to nix its pollution standards, the commission has now come up with a compromise.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning along Indiana's length of the Ohio River.

The two Ohio River ports at Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville and the Lake Michigan port at Burns Harbor handled 14.8 million tons of cargo last year.

The vessels got stuck on a dam near Louisville on Christmas night when the tugboat moving them crashed into a nearby bridge.

In a report released Friday, officials recommend the easternmost of the three routes that were under consideration.

Indiana currently operates Ohio River ports in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon and a Lake Michigan port at Burns Harbor.

Since ORSANCO announced it would consider removing its pollution control standards, the commission received more than 5,000 comments in opposition. As a result, committee members say they need more time to review the decision

The commission oversees an agreement between eight states with watersheds draining into the river.