ST. PAUL, Minn. – Exactly 7,375 vessels and 7,480,662 tons of cargo passed through Lock and Dam 4, in Alma, Wis., during the 2011 navigation season from March 23-Dec. 2.
The MV Charlie G. was the last tow to pass through Nov. 24.
Of these vessels, 714 were commercial, 6,558 were recreational and 103 were of the other category, such as government watercraft.
During the 2010 navigation season, 8,680 craft passed through Lock and Dam 4 – 761 of them commercial, 7,831 of them recreational and 88 other. In 2010, the amount of commodities transported through this lock was 7,937,466 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 4 in 1935 and maintains it to this day. A major rehabilitation of this lock occurred in 1988-1994.
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. 12-012