ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released its 2020 navigation statistics for the Upper Mississippi River today, Feb. 8.
During the 2020 season, Corps staff supported 2,106 commercial navigation lockages at Lock and Dam 8, near Genoa, Wisconsin, which was above the 10-year average of 1,690 lockages. The 2020 lockages supported 13,430,418 tons of commodities by the navigation industry. During the 2019 season, Corps staff supported 1,449 commercial lockages and the movement of 9,236,685 tons of commodities.
In addition to the commercial lockages, Corps staff locked 4,017 recreation vessels during 1,413 lockages. To minimize lockages, the Corps tries to include multiple recreation vessels during a single lockage. There were an additional 27 lockages from various government agencies including the Corps.
The 2020 navigation season unofficially came to a close on Nov. 30 after the Motor Vessel The Colonel departed St. Paul, Minnesota. The 2020 navigation season started March 18, when the Motor Vessel Miss Doris locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, en route to St. Paul.
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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