ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released the 2018 navigation statistics for the Upper Mississippi River today, Feb. 1.
The Corps’ Lock and Dam 6, near Trempealeau, Wisconsin, was slightly above the 10-year average for combined lockages. Corps staff supported 3,353 combined lockages during the 2018 season. The 10-year average is 3,093. The staff supported 3,585 combined lockages during the 2017 season.
There were 2,191 commercial navigation lockages at Lock 6 in 2018. The lockages supported 11,296,784 tons of commodities by the navigation industry. During the 2017 season, Corps staff supported 2,330 commercial lockages and the movement of 13,822,205 tons of commodities.
In addition to the commercial lockages, Corps staff locked 2,797 recreation vessels during 1,237 recreation lockages. To minimize lockages, the Corps tries to include multiple recreation vessels during a single lockage. There were an additional 53 lockages from various government agencies including the Corps.
The last tow of the season was the Motor Vessel Titletown U.S.A. She passed through Lock 10, heading south, Dec. 1, 2018. The 2018 navigation season started April 11, when the Motor Vessel Michael Poindexter locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, en route to St. Paul, Minnesota.
Navigation statistics fluctuate from year to year, depending on the weather, river flows and the length of the navigation season. The St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot navigation channel from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy.
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