ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host an open house at Lock and Dam 4, on the Mississippi River, in Alma, Wisconsin, on July 27.
Corps officials are hosting the free event from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., to allow people to get a behind-the-scenes view of the site, while also getting a better understanding of what the staff do to ensure safe, reliable navigation.
In addition to the open house, Corps staff and partners will have a variety of water safety booths and displays on site. Visitors will have an opportunity to see some of the boats that are used on the river as well as learn about the importance of wearing a life jacket while on the water.
Lock and Dam 4 is just off Wisconsin Highway 35 on the north end of downtown Alma. The lock went into operation in 1935, with a major rehabilitation from 1988-1994.
Accessible parking is available to avoid the stairs on the pedestrian bridge over the railway. The driveway is just south of the visitors parking lot on the other side of Alma City Hall.
The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. More than 74 million tons of commodities were shipped in the Upper Mississippi River in 2023. The industries making these shipments saved approximately $430 million by using the inland waterways instead of overland shipping methods.
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Release no. 24-051