Upper Mississippi

Barge Traffic Tied In Knots On Mississippi

U.S. Midwestern grain shippers were getting ready to move barges into the upper Mississippi River on Tuesday but estimated it could be two to three weeks before trapped barges along the river make it to the Gulf. Weekend rains that dropped 3 to 6 inches of rain over a six-county area in northern Missouri and southern Iowa, coupled with swollen river conditions in the upper Mississippi, resulted in two more Mississippi lock closures this week. Lock 24 at Clarksville, Missouri, and lock 25 at Winfield, Missouri, were shut down to traffic on Monday. Both locks are north of the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. These new closures, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers extending the reopening of lock 20 at Canton, Missouri, until May 22 were seen pushing back the arrival of Midwest grain barges at the U.S. Gulf. Shippers expected it would be early June before barges trapped in the upper Mississippi would be at the Gulf. About 200 barges have been stalled along the upper-Mississippi since April, when the U.S. Coast Guard shut down a 486-mile stretch of the river due to high water levels. But the actual arrival of grain barges would depend on locks 24 and 25 also opening by May 22, industry sources said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Army Corps had not scheduled a reopening date for the Clarksville or Winfield locks. River forecasts called for the Mississippi to crest at Clarksville and Winfield later this week -- 7 to 8 feet above flood stage.

H.R. 4785 Text Available

The text of H.R. 4785 has been posted on the Internet. This bill, if enacted, would authorize monies for enhancement of navigation capacity improvements and ecosystem restoration on the Upper Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway System. Find details at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h4785ih.txt.pdf

High Traffic Forces USCG to Shut Section of Missouri River

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday it was closing a 147 mile-long section of the Missouri River to marine traffic due to high water levels after recent heavy rains. The Coast Guard Eighth District office at St. Louis, Miss., said in a statement that recreational and commercial traffic was being restricted between mile 146 and 293 on the river, from central Missouri west to near Kansas City. The closure comes two weeks after the Coast Guard reopened a 500-mile stretch of the upper

USCG Issues High Water Warnings

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety travel advisory for sections of the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers due to rising water levels near St. Louis. The Coast Guard said barges traveling on the upper-Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, (mile markers 205.0 to 55.2) and on the Missouri River near St. Louis (mile markers 0.0 to 150.0) were advised to watch for sudden changes in river conditions over the next several days.

Bill Seeks $730M for Locks

Text of the bill (S. 2470) to enhance navigation capacity improvements and the ecosystem restoration plan for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System has been posted on the Internet. If enacted, the bill would, among other things, authorize $730 million for construction of new 1,200-foot locks around various dams on the two waterways. (HK Law).

Waterways Council on Lock & Dam Failure

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President & CEO Cornel Martin has issued the following statement regarding the September 27, 2009 catastrophic failure of the miter gate at Markland Locks and Dam on the Ohio River near Cincinnati that requires the main, 1,200-ft lock chamber to close, leaving only the 600-ft auxiliary chamber to accommodate traffic until the repair is completed:    The failure of Markland’s main chamber miter gate is disturbing for many reasons

Waterways Conference to Feature Political Leaders

Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist will be the featured speakers at the National Waterways Conference's annual meeting, which will be held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, in Nashville, Sept. 15-17. More than 350 business, civic and waterways leaders are expected to attend the convention, said Conference Chairman Dennis L. Kirwin, executive vice-president of Midland Marine Corp. The theme of the meeting will be "Here Comes the 21st Century: Are America's

Mecklenborg Testifies on Behalf of WCI to House Subcommittee

Daniel P. Mecklenborg, First Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) (and Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Ingram Barge Company) testified today on behalf of WCI before the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, U.S. House of Representatives. The topic of Mr. Mecklenborg’s testimony was the current status and future of the Nation’s inland waterway navigation infrastructure

More Money Given to Civil Works Budget

Waterways Council, Inc. expressed its appreciation to Congress which, in the recently completed lame duck session, passed an omnibus spending package which allocates $4.7 billion in FY 2005 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program. The bill includes $331.5 million for the Inland Waterways Users Board’s priority navigation projects – a $61 million increase over last year’s appropriations and $64.6 million over the President’s FY 2005 request for these projects.

Ross Labs Delivers a 35-ft. Survey Boat

In mid-May Ross Laboratories, Inc., Seattle, Wash., delivered the first of two survey boats to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Rock Island District. The Ross "Mini-Sweep" is a small boat multi-channel survey system, designed for inland rivers and shallow water surveying. The "Mini-Sweep" is ideally suited for installation on small trailerable vessels. The "turn-key" system for Rock Island District included a custom designed 35 ft. Twin-hull work boat from SeaArk