ST. PAUL, Minn. – Exactly 5,694 vessels and 7,556,928 tons of cargo passed through Lock and Dam 5A, located near Fountain City, Wis., during the 2011 navigation season from March 30-Dec. 2.
The MV Tigre was the last tow to pass through Dec. 2.
Of these vessels, 725 were commercial, 4,775 were recreational and 194 were of the other category, such as government watercraft.
During the 2010 navigation season, 6,738 craft passed through Lock and Dam 5A – 756 of them commercial, 5,719 of them recreational and 263 other. In 2010, the amount of commodities transported through this lock was 7,981,410 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 5A in 1932, opened it for operation in 1936 and maintains it to this day. The lock’s last major rehabilitation occurred from 1989-2000.
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. 12-014