ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will officially close the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River Dec. 3.
Traditionally, the last tow heading south of Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., has marked the end of the navigation season. The Motor Vessel Show Me State was locked through Hastings Nov. 28. The Motor Vessel Deanna Ann was the first tow of the 2012 season. It was locked through March 17. The 2011 season ended on Dec. 5.
While the Mississippi River hasn’t frozen over yet, the Corps will begin winter renovation and maintenance at Lock and Dam 6, near Trempealeau, Wis., Dec. 3. The repairs require the lock to be completely closed during the maintenance, which also means the end of the navigation season. The lock repairs are scheduled to be complete by March 11.
During the navigation closure, the river will continue to be managed in a manner that maintains the 9-foot channel in the system. All additional flows will be passed downstream. The river will be closed to all lockages from Minneapolis to Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa. If lockage is necessary during the navigation closure, please contact Bryan Peterson at (651) 290-5986.
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. 2012-113