Hours Changing at 3 Mississippi Locks

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE ST. PAUL DISTRICT News Release April 8, 2013 MVP-PA-2013-035 Contacts: Patrick Moes: 651-290-5202, 651-366-7539 [email protected] Shannon Bauer: 651-290-5108, 612-840-9453, [email protected]

Corps reminds public of changes to operating hours for Minneapolis locks

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District’s navigation season will start this year with some changes to the operating hours at its three Minneapolis locks.

The Corps is changing the operating hours at its three locks – Upper St. Anthony Falls, Lower St. Anthony Falls and Lock and Dam 1. The Corps will lock both commercial and recreational vessels daily from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., at Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls, and 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Lock and Dam 1. The purpose in changing the operating hours is due to the nationwide-effort to reduce the operating and maintenance costs at locks and dams. “The Corps hopes to save money by standardizing lock service levels at locks throughout the country. The decision to change the operating hours is based solely on the lock usage at each location,” said Kevin Baumgard, deputy operations chief. He added the district will review the lock usage annually and make additional adjustments to the operating hours based on future reviews.

The nearly 700 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

At least they didn’t site Asian Carp for the reason.

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At least they didn’t site Asian Carp for the reason.

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Maybe not Brian, but it should slow down them spreading into other waters.

The April edition of NAFC magazine has a one page article about a proposal by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to close access to more than 60 locks in waterways across the country. The Corps contends that regulations prohibiting boating below dams and boaters using the locks have been in effect for 16 years. The agency announced in December 2012 its intent to close boaters’ access to the waters for safety reasons.

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The Corps contends that regulations prohibiting boating below dams and boaters using the locks have been in effect for 16 years

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Did it perhaps site the regs?

Probably one of those things that was voted on and banked as a regulation that was never intended to be used unless needed. They can pull out the reg if they want to enforce it in the future without having to go through a bunch of hoops to put it in place.

The article did not disclose any regulations, only the Corps position that the regulations have been in effect for the past 16 years, without being enforced. Kentucky’s Cumberland River and its tributaries were being discussed for restricted access to water near dams. A January public meeting to discuss this proposal was held in Grand Rivers, attended by concerned fisherman, residents, representitives for the governor, and U.S Senators McConnell, and Paul. No further information was availavle.

thanks