• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Navigation season on MIssouri River to end early

Navigation season on MIssouri River to end early

October 10, 2007 By admin

The navigation season on the Missouri River will end sooner than usual this year. Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, South Dakota, will scale back water releases next week, dropping the water level below what is needed for barge traffic.

Gavins Point operations project manager Dave Becker says the navigation season usually lasts another month. Becker says: "Because of the drought on the Missouri this year, the navigation season has been cut short by 35 days. Rather than the season going up until about Thanksgiving time at Sioux City, meaning tug boats and barges could get up to Sioux City, it’ll be about October 17th."

Becker says Gavins Point Dam is releasing about 80-percent of the water it would in a more normal rainfall year. He says in order for the reduced flows to reach Sioux City on Wednesday the 17th, the dam will scale back releases on Monday the 15th. On the other side of Iowa, it’s a completely different story.

Ron Fournier, spokesman for the Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, says the Mississippi River is still very much open for business, and likely will be for a few more months. Fournier says: "Commercial navigation traffic will typically shut down around the middle of December in anticipation of the freezing river but until the river freezes, traffic basically runs year-round. It’ll start shutting down up north around Minneapolis, work its way down here to Iowa and usually it stays open down in the Missouri area." He adds, the Illinois River will stay open year-round. 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Transportation

Featured Stories

Bill would limit placement of solar arrays on farm ground

Marquette casino moving to land, leaving only 2 casino boats in Iowa

Reynolds signs her ‘school choice’ bill into law

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State names new receivers coach

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

Northern Iowa men host Valparaiso

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC