Fewer Boats, Barges use Upper Mississippi Locks
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Posted: 10:51 AM Jan 6, 2009
Fewer Boats, Barges use Upper Mississippi Locks
The region's locks on the Upper Mississippi River were quieter in 2008, with nearly a third fewer tons of cargo going through than in 2007. And 2007 was well down from the peak of about 10 years before.
Reporter: Associated Press
width:320 and height: 240 and picwidth: 213 and pciheight: 159
Font Size:

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) -- The region's locks on the Upper Mississippi River were quieter in 2008, with nearly a third fewer tons of cargo going through than in 2007.

And 2007 was well down from the peak of about 10 years before.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at Lock and Dam 5 near Minneiska, the 2008 tonnage was down 58.7 percent from its 1996 peak.

Last year's total tonnage at Red Wing; Alma, Wis.; Minneiska and Winona was down about 32 to 33 percent from 2007.

The corps says the number of both commercial and recreational trips through the locks also dropped. For example, at Alma, 9,522 vessels of all sizes locked through last year, compared with 11,497 the year before.

The corps didn't give a reason for the drop. But experts say much more corn is going to make ethanol locally, so much less is shipped down the river. And high gas prices cut into recreational boating.

My Local TITAN - Click Radar for More Maps
NEW: Launch Interactive Weather Map
Stock Indexes
  • .DJI
  • 12801.23
  • -89.23
  • -0.69%
  • .INX
  • 1342.64
  • -9.31
  • -0.69%
  • .IXIC
  • 2903.88
  • -23.35
  • -0.80%
  • NYA
  • 7992.03
  • -89.22
  • -1.10%
Enter Ticker Symbal to get quote:
Quotes updated every 15 minutes
  • FL
  • 26.93
  • SF
  • 36.48
  • VZ
  • 37.69
  • WY
  • 20.02