UPPER RIVER SERVICES

Rivers Are On The Rise

Water levels on U.S. Midwest rivers were rising after recent warm temperatures and weekend rains mixed with snow hit the upper Midwest but no navigational problems were expected, river officials said. "We're experiencing a bubble effect with a rise and fall of water -- which will continue over the next couple of days," said Lt. Chris O'Neil, spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Louis. Water levels on the upper-Mississippi River near St. Louis were more than three times levels reached a week ago but were expected to drop gradually by Wednesday, said Charles Camillo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman at St. Louis. "Water was forecast to reach 20.5 feet on Monday, then drop to 19.3 feet on Tuesday and 17.1 on Wednesday at the St. Louis gauge," Camillo said. "But there are no navigational problems and we're a long way off flood levels," he said. Water levels in the area last week were below six feet. While water levels on the upper-Mississippi River near St. Louis were at least 10 feet below flood stage, the Illinois River at the Peoria and LaGrange locks were at flood stage, river officials said. The Peoria lock is located at mile marker 158 and the LaGrange lock is about 80 miles south at mile marker 80. "There's a navigable pass and there's no locking at Peoria or LaGrange," said Dave Hood, lockmaster at the LaGrange lock.

Op Big Tow - No Discrepancies So Far

Personnel from Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River have contacted and safety-checked more than 74 towing vessels and examined 310 mariner licenses and have found no discrepancies in the early phases of Operation Big Tow in the upper Mississippi River region. Operation Big Tow, a national initiative that began in the upper Mississippi River region Saturday, is using safety spot checks, vessel and operator credential examinations

Mississippi River Restrictions Lifted

Coast Guard Captain of the Port Captain Sharon Richey, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River, issued an order today lifting the restrictions on vessel traffic transit through the affected area of the Mississippi River at the Interstate 35 Bridge collapse site here. The bridge was closed at mile marker 853.2, due to salvage and debris removal operations. All mariners are urged to exercise extreme caution when transiting this area and to monitor marine channel 16

Ice Melt Aids Mississippi Navigation

Ice melt and rising water levels on the Illinois and upper-Mississippi rivers improved barge movement but traffic was backed up near Alton, Illinois, after the Melvin Price lock reopened, officials said Thursday. The Melvin Price auxiliary lock on the upper-Mississippi River near Alton began locking tows at 7 p.m. on Wednesday after closing the lock on Monday to flush ice from the dam. "They're not finished flushing ice but they are locking because most of the heavy ice has passed

Widening Scope of Waterway Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has "made good progress" in broadening a study of possible navigation improvements on the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway system to give greater consideration to ecological restoration, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. However, because of flaws in the models used in the study to predict demand for barge transportation, the economic justification for expanding locks on the rivers has not yet been demonstrated

NOAA Warns of Flooding Risks

Many rivers in the upper Midwest and northern Plains remain above flood stage, and the threat for more flooding will continue through the summer, forecasters at NOAA’s National Weather Service said today. With rivers running high and soils completely saturated, just a small amount of rain could trigger more flooding, including areas that have already seen major to record flooding. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal rain in most of these vulnerable areas

President’s Budget Requests Record Level of Funding for IWTF

President Bush’s FY 2007 proposed budget requests a record level of new federal funding for 11 Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed projects. The budget request proposes FY ’07 spending of $394 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which $197 million will come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law

USCG Issues Upper Mississippi Safety Advisory

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a safety advisory for a 24-mile stretch of the upper-Mississippi River near St. Louis due to high water conditions. From mile marker 160, near the mouth of the Meramec River south of St. Louis to mile marker 184 near St. Louis, vessels were advised against downstreaming operations. The advisory may become mandatory later on Tuesday if water levels keep rising. Downstreaming is a barge fleeting procedure where a towboat approaches a barge fleet from upstream

Closure of Dalles Navigation Lock, Columbia River

On Sept. 30, Coast Guard Sector Portland, Ore. reported that it is monitoring and managing vessel traffic on the Columbia River east of Portland/Vancouver, Wash., due to the closure of the Dalles Dam lock in Dalles, Ore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has temporarily closed the lock due to structural irregularities detected in the downstream gate.  An assessment is being made to determine if repairs are needed.

MarAd Assesses Economic Impact of Lock Closures

Due to rising flood waters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing nine locks and dams on the upper . Lock 16 in , was the first to close on Thursday, June 12. The last to close will be Lock 25 in . The closures will temporarily halt barge traffic on more than 200 miles of the UMR. The Corps of Engineers notified industry of the closures on Sunday June, 8 and update industry and other stakeholders daily. Industry representatives have reported that they have had plenty of warning to get