The Mississippi delta forms the greatest trading hub in the Western hemisphere, transporting goods worth up to $730 billion. However, as the rivers' levels rise, locals from Louisiana to Iowa are adjusting to regular and harsher flooding. With ships finding it harder to navigate the now unpredictable river, Stephen Hawthorn, head of the local pilots association, says climate change would have a devastating effect on the local economy: "What if this becomes the new norm? Everyone is saying a little prayer it won’t." The floods could also expose water supplies to waste from local industries, including heavy metal containing coal ash from factories near the town of Labadie, Missouri. "Floodplains are used for filtering water", says town resident Patricia Schuba. "So to have that waste that contains these heavy metals and carcinogens is really not good."