ST. PAUL, Minn. – Exactly 6,528 vessels and 9,477,117 tons of cargo passed through Lock and Dam 7, located near La Crescent, Minn., during the 2011 navigation season from March 23-Nov. 25.
The MV Jacob Eckstein was the last tow to pass through Nov. 25.
Of these vessels, 903 were commercial, 5,261 were recreational and 364 were of the other category, such as government watercraft.
During the 2010 navigation season, 7,276 craft passed through Lock and Dam 7 – 913 of them commercial, 5,938 of them recreational and 425 other. In 2010, the amount of commodities transported through this lock was 9,723,976 tons.
Navigation statistics fluctuate from year to year, depending on the weather, the flows and the length of the navigation season.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, constructed Lock and Dam 7 in 1937 and maintains it to this day. The lock’s last major rehabilitation occurred from 1989-2002. This winter, the Corps has dewatered the lock chamber for routine maintenance and does not anticipate opening it for navigation until March 15.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $175 million to the five-state district economy. The 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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Release no. 12-016