Dam Project News

New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), 2022 Construction Spend Plan.”In Arkansas…

In early October, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) reported in its newsletter Capitol Currents that the future of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 hung in the balance, with many unknowns for its chances of being signed into law during the Lame Duck session of Congress that just concluded in late December.But despite twists and turns and a roller coaster ride, WRDA was, indeed, passed by Congress on December 21 as part of the FY21 Omnibus Appropriations that included a $900 billion COVID Relief package.

As we head toward the end of a very chaotic and COVID-filled 2020 and try to reflect on the positives, the inland waterways had a pretty good year overall. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), whose members depend on a modern, efficient inland waterways system, offers this look back, with hopes ahead for the passage of a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020 with our construction cost-share adjustment priority in the lame duck session of Congress.A disappointing FY21 budget requestIn February…

We recently checked in with Tracy Zea, Waterways Council Inc.’s new President & CEO, on what’s in store for the U.S. inland waterways for the remainder of 2020.To start, give us some insight on your background and how you came to lead WCI.I was born and raised in Chandler, Ariz., and attended South Dakota State University, receiving a degree in Political Science. After college, I found my way to Washington, D.C. via an internship with Senator Thune (R-S.D.). After the internship, I was hired by the House of Representatives, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with The Waterways Council, Inc. provided a press tour today at the almost completed Olmsted lock and dam project. Inland stakeholders will cheer this critical infrastructure upgrade. MarineNews contributor Tom Ewing was there and had this to say:As waterways operators know, Olmsted is the Corps' megaproject finally coming to an end. "Mega," of course, for engineering and contracts, mega for budgets - over 3 billion dollars and for project history - starting in 1988 but, unfortunately proceeding fitfully over the decades and countless  federal budget sessions. As a construction site, Olmsted is winding down prepping for the official ribbon-cutting next month.

U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will receive the 17th Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on Wednesday evening, February 14, 2018 at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. “Waterways Council is so fortunate to have the opportunity to honor Senator McConnell, a great waterways advocate and to thank him publicly for his commitment to America’s critical waterways infrastructure, to jobs, and to competitive access,” said Michael J. Toohey, President/CEO of Waterways Council, Inc.

USACE and USCG collaborate to make inland waterways safer. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), supported by Alion Science and Technology (Alion), has put forth considerable effort during the last two years to further extend the capabilities of the existing Automatic Identification System (AIS) network to improve the safety and efficiency of navigation along the inland rivers. The USACE works with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and other agencies and stakeholders to operate and maintain the nation’s Marine Transportation System (MTS).

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017; FY 2017 Corps' Work Plan and Infrastructure Plan Addressed. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today held its annual briefing for the news media to address the President’s FY 2018 budget request, the FY 2017 Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations Act, the Corps of Engineers’ FY 2017 Work Plan, and the Administration’s infrastructure initiative. he event was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The full FY 2018 budget request to Congress released by the Trump Administration proposes $5.02 billion for the Corps’ Civil Works program, representing a $382 million increase above President Obama’s FY17 request, but more than $1 billion below the $6.038 billion appropriated by Congress for FY 2017.

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. has surpassed the 10,000 dives on a single project at Olmsted Locks & Dam in Illinois. Tom Cameron, a long-time diver with Global, performed the 10,000th dive. Wade Miller, Marine Construction Manager with AECOM for the Olmsted Dam Project, said, “The Global team has done an exceptional job. Global has been working at Olmsted since 2009 providing a variety of dive-related services. Olmsted is a significant, ongoing undertaking. The new locks and dam system will replace two outdated locks and dam systems on the Ohio River…

Conrad Shipyard said it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of a crane barge that will operate on the Olmsted Locks and Dam Project. “Conrad Shipyard has a long history of building vessels for the Army Corps of Engineers,” saidJohnny Conrad, Conrad President and Chief Executive Officer. The crane barge, which will be built at Conrad’s Morgan City shipyard, has a hull length of 110’-6”, beam of 60’ and molded depth of 8’-6”. In addition to barge construction…

The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) praised the bipartisan leadership of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Vice Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Senate Energy & Water Development (E&WD) Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for the 30-0 vote approving the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill that increases funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program. The Corps’ Civil Works mission funded in the Senate bill is $6 billion, an increase of $11 million above the FY 2016 enacted level, and $1.378 million above the President’s budget request. It restores the 23 percent cut to the Corps’ budget proposed by the Administration for FY ’17.

Insights: Edward E. Belk -  Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division Directorate of Civil Works, U.S. Edward E. Belk, Jr. currently serves as the Chief of Operations and Regulatory Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He also provides leadership and oversight for activities and programs within the Corps’ Lakes and Rivers and North Atlantic Regional Integration Teams. Selected by the Secretary of the Army into the Senior Executive Service in May 2012, Mr. Belk provides national oversight of the development, resourcing and delivery of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) programs for the Civil Works infrastructure portfolio and for Corps operational programs such as hydroelectric power…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) reacted to the FY 2017 budget request made by President Obama earlier today, as detailed below. •  proposes $4.620 billion for the U.S. •  a $1.289 billion inland waterways user fee. •  $986 million be appropriated from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), down from $1.25 billion in FY 2016. •  is no funding for NESP. Lockport Lock and Dam  (Major Rehab) was awarded $1.4 million for contract modifications to close out the project. •  is no funding for NESP. “The Administration’s FY ’17 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission proposes a 30% cut and is the most disappointing budget to date.

China and Brazil sealed their expanding commercial partnership on Thursday with a $5 billion credit line for Brazilian miner Vale and the purchase of 60 passenger jets from Brazilian planemaker Embraer. In a raft of energy, finance and industry accords signed before presidents Xi Jinping and Dilma Rousseff, the two nations agreed to join forces to build railways to help Brazil cut its infrastructure deficit and feed China's appetite for commodities. Trade between China and Brazil soared to $83.3 billion last year from $3.2 billion in 2002, with iron ore, soy and oil making up the bulk of Brazilian exports, making China the South American nation's biggest trade partner.

AWO President & CEO Tom Allegretti issued a statement on behalf of U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge operators praising House and Senate leaders for their work in forging “critically needed” waterways infrastructure legislation and urged Congress to quickly pass the Water Resources Reform and Development Act and send it to the President to be signed into law. “AWO is very pleased to see that the comprehensive legislation includes a number of important provisions of the Inland Waterways…

On January 17, 2014, Congress averted another government shutdown with a “just in time” delivery of an Omnibus Appropriations bill. Thankfully, some good news for the inland waterways also has arrived; Just in Time! The recent Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, or Omnibus bill, has brought a healthy funding level to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This new law contains the FY 2014 Energy & Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that funds the Corps’ Civil Works program. The total program funding level of $5.467 billion represents a $749 million increase over the FY 2013 post-sequester enacted level, and is a 15.9% increase relative to FY ‘13 funding levels.

Upon review of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) is pleased with the FY 2014 Energy & Water Development Appropriations funding level of $5.467 billion, a $748 million increase over the FY 2013 post-sequester enacted level. Within the Civil Works budget, the Construction General Account receives $1.656 billion and provides $163 million for the Olmsted Lock and Dam project. The legislation also establishes a cost-sharing formula for FY14…

The passage of last night’s Continuing Resolution to fund the Federal government and raise the debt ceiling contained a provision to raise the 902(b) cap on the amount that can be spent on the Olmsted Project in Illinois to $2.9 billion from the current $1.56 billion. The measure does not appropriate funds, but allows work on the project to continue. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers informed the Inland Waterways Users Board in August that the Olmsted project would be shuttered in November 2013 and would displace 400 workers if Congress did not act the raise the cap.

Faced with a challenging decision between draining Apache Lake or trying a unique underwater diving method to repair the damaged intake structure for Horse Mesa Dam’s hydroelectric units, Hydro Generation engineers at Salt River Project chose the latter rather than the former, which would have significantly impacted marina operations as well as boating enthusiasts at the reservoir. SRP said that decision is about to be rewarded as construction workers from SRP and Seattle-based Global Diving & Salvage Inc.

May 15, 2013 was a very good day for the nation’s barge and towing operators, as well as shippers of grain, coal, chemicals, petroleum products, aggregate materials, and agri-input products. It was also a good day for our nation’s economy and for its consumers. The Senate passed, by a vote of 83-14, a long-overdue Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), last reauthorized in 2007. Six years may not seem like a long time to await action on Capitol Hill. But since 57% of the locks and dams on the nation’s inland waterways system have exceeded their economic design life expectancy of 50 years…

In a news press release yesterday, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) expressed its gratitude to Senate Environment & Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member David Vitter (R-LA) for their collaborative efforts to draft, manage and pass a long-overdue Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), S. 601. WCI said it was also grateful for the inclusion of several provisions of the RIVER (Reinvesting In Vital Economic Rivers and Waterways) Act, S. 407, introduced by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and cosponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS).

Jim Hannon is Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). He also provides leadership and oversight for activities within the USACE Lakes and Rivers and North Atlantic Regional Integration Teams. Hannon is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in July 2010. After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University in 1980, he began his career with the U.S.

WCI Immediate Past President Rick Calhoun Testifies on need for WRDA Bill. Rick Calhoun, President of Cargo Carriers, a business of Cargill, Inc., and Immediate Past Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), testified today before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on “Water Resources Development Act: Growing the Economy and Protecting Public Safety.”   Mr. Calhoun addressed the need for a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which he called “a real opportunity…