ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting public meetings in Cochrane, Wisconsin, and Wabasha, Minnesota, Dec. 14 and 15 to discuss its planning efforts to manage Mississippi River dredged material between the Chippewa River and Lock and Dam 5, located near Minnesota City, Minnesota.
The meeting schedules are:
- Dec. 14, Cochrane, Wisconsin, VFW Post 10406, 100 Michaels St., from 6-7 p.m.
- Dec. 15, Wabasha, Minnesota, VFW Post 4086, 138 E 2nd St., from 6-7 p.m.
The meetings will focus on three areas: navigation and channel maintenance, the dredged material management plan process and real estate acquisition.
The Corps is currently revising its plans for Pools 4 and 5 of the Mississippi River. The plans, once complete, provide the path forward to continue maintaining the 9-foot navigation channel for the next 40 years. Further, the plan will specify the permanent and temporary storage locations for the dredged material. An environmental assessment is also being prepared as a part of the plan.
A safe, reliable navigation system over the next 40 years saves money and protects the environment. More than 650 million tons of commodities are annually shipped on the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The people shipping these commodities save an estimated $5.6 billion by using the Mississippi River rather that other transportation methods such as rail or truck. On average, shippers save around $15 per ton when using navigation vs. shipping by rail. This equates to about 38 cents per bushel savings or more than $6,500 profit for a 100-acre field. A loaded hopper barge can carry more than 55,000 bushels of wheat, enough to make 2.5 million loaves of bread.
The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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