Colorado River News

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, held a third Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) hearing on March 16, providing a chance for Representatives to seek local project funding.Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (OR-4), in opening remarks, noted large recent spending increases for water projects, e.g., the new infrastructure bill and harbor trust fund policy changes in WRDA 2020. Still, he commented that even this new money cannot pay for the backlog of the Corps’ projects.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) applauded approval by the House Appropriations Committee (by a vote of 33 to 24) of strong funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). The Committee provided overall funding for the Corps’ Civil Works Mission for FY22 at $8.66 billion, an increase of $863 million above FY21’s appropriated level, and $1.9 billion above the President’s FY22 budget request.“WCI is pleased that the House Appropriations Committee has increased funding for the Corps of Engineers’ critical work…

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, Wednesday. The legislation, which provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Civil Works missions, now heads to the House Floor for a vote.Maritime trade groups Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and the American Waterways Operators (AWO) applauded the House T&I bill (H.R.

Boat builder Lake Assault Boats has placed two fire and rescue boats into service with the San Bernardino County Fire Department in California. The versatile landing craft style vessels – one 28 feet long and the other 26 feet long – are equipped to handle a wide range of emergency response scenarios. “Having two of our boats on duty with the San Bernardino County Fire Department is an honor,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations. The 28-foot craft is stationed in Needles, Calif. and serves on the Colorado River.

Ellicott Dredges announced it was recently awarded three contracts with the U.S. government. The first contract is for a customized Ellicott 860SL Swinging Dragon dredge and support boat for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). This dredge will be used to increase depth and restore water flow in the Colorado River, and to create wetland habitats. One of the primary objectives of this program is multi-species conservation, including birds, fish, turtles, insects and plants. Ellicott has already supplied multiple dredges to the USBR for the Colorado River management project.

Winding its way through downtown Austin, Texas, is scenic Lady Bird Lake, a gas-restricted reservoir of the Colorado River. Lone Star Riverboat Cruises guides visitors through the picturesque surroundings in Lone Star, a 75-foot double-decked paddlewheel, powered by twin Torqeedo 40-horsepower Deep Blue outboards. Capt. Mike Pearce began Lone Star Riverboat Cruises with a diesel-powered paddleboat and an exemption to operate a fueled vessel on the lake. When the boat became too old to use, Pearce went all-electric. As his business grew, so did his fleet.

There are several quick conclusions you can draw about passenger boat construction in the new millennium. First it is a smaller market than 10 years ago with far fewer boats being built today than a decade ago. Secondly almost all of these vessels are built on the east or west coast. There are virtually no passenger boats being built in the south. Third, the number one vessel type being built is the ferryboat and more specifically the all-passenger ferry that shuttles people at 25 knots or better. In the years between 1987 and 1993 shipyards all over the country were building 600-passenger excursion-dinner boats in great numbers as sightseeing and dining vessels on America’s great rivers, lakes and bays became increasingly popular.

Lead Mead Cruises (LMC) of Boulder City, Nev., operates a fleet of four vessels - a number that will increase to five in spring 2001 when LMC takes delivery of a 57 x 17-ft. catamaran currently under construction at Kvichak Marine. The catamaran is designed by Morrelli & Melvin and will cruise 65 miles up Lake Mead and the Colorado River to the edge of the Grand Canyon. "We really wanted a catamaran to operate on this run," said Rob Fair of LMC. Powered by twin Caterpillar 3196-TA diesel engines, rated for 660 bhp @ 2,300 rpm, and fitted to ZF 350A marine gears, the catamaran will cruise at 27 knots and top out at 32 knots. Transmissions will be fitted to 28-in., stainless steel, five-bladed propellers. Seating on the main and aft decks accommodates 68 passengers.

Deep Marine Technology’s DeepWorker 2000 Direct Operated Vehicles (DOV) recently participated in, and successfully completed, oil spill recovery and dam inspection task simulations for Marine Pollution Control (MPC) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) respectively. Conducting the works at Lake Travis in Austin, TX, DMT’s first task was to demonstrate the ability to effectively integrate DMT and MPC’s technologies by interfacing MPC’s Submersible Work Unit equipment with the DOV and perform a simulated oil spill recovery operation. This task was achieved through the use of clay balls placed on the bottom of the lake that were then retrieved with a suction hose attached to the DOV that carried the material to the surface and deposited it onto a vessel.

On June 28, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen, presented the Commandant's Quality Award - Bronze Level to Sector Corpus Christi. Capt. Jake Korn, Sector Commander for Sector Corpus Christi received the award on behalf of the unit at the Coast Guard's Innovation Expo in Tampa, Florida. The award recognizes high-performing Coast Guard commands that excel in leadership and performance management. The Corpus Christi command was one of only seven units nationwide to receive the award, and the first Sector to receive unit wide recognition. The Bronze level was the highest level awarded this year. Sector Corpus Christi's Area of Responsibility includes the ports, waterways and coastal region of South Texas extending from the Colorado River to the Rio Grande .

The Utah Department of Transportation has awarded a construction contract to Mark Steel Corp. of Salt Lake City for a new Lake Powell ferry-boat at Hall's Crossing. Known as the builder of John Atlantic Burr - the lake's exclusive ferry since 1985, Mark Steel is scheduled to begin construction of the 150 ft. (45.7 m) vessel for a September 2000 launching. Designed by M.D.A. Marine Design Associates of Victoria, B.C., Canada, the ferry's namesake honors Charles A. Hall, the pioneer who operated the first ferry-boat across the Colorado River.