ST. PAUL, Minn. – Exactly 4,311 vessels and 9,484,577 tons of cargo passed through Lock and Dam 6, located near Trempealeau, Wis., during the 2011 navigation season from March 23-Nov. 25.
The Jacob Michael Eckstein was the last tow to pass through Nov. 25.
Of these vessels, 809 were commercial, 3,376 were recreational and 126 were of the other category, such as government watercraft.
During the 2010 navigation season, 4,982 craft passed through Lock and Dam 6 – 834 of them commercial, 4,070 of them recreational and 78 other. In 2010, the amount of commodities transported through this lock was 9,674,907 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 constructed Lock and Dam 6 in 1936 and maintains it to this day. The lock’s last major rehabilitation occurred from 1989-1999.
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. 12-015