Lock and Dam 10 hosts annual open house
Lock and Dam 10 has two of its original miter gates, which are not used and do not have any motors attached to make them operational. The Corps originally intended the gates to work as an auxiliary chamber to pass through the Lock; however, during construction, the project was determined to not be viable. The Corps later put in a pylon wall to relieve the water pressure from the inoperable gates. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
By Steve Van Kooten
On Saturday, while Germanfest let the beer flow and the brats sizzle, visitors could take a quick walk along the river for the Lock and Dam 10 open house, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—St. Paul District hosts every September.
“We are funded by taxpayer dollars, so you guys can see where we’re spending your money, how we’re maintaining it and what the value is. It’s always good to increase your relationship to the public,” said Eric Thiese, who works for the Corps.
Most of the money used for Corps projects is congressional appropriations.
Thiese added that open houses give civilians a chance to learn more about the locks and dams and the benefits they provide.
According to the Corps, transportation of goods over the river reduces over-the-road traffic. One 15-barge tow is the equivalent of 1,050 large semi-trailers. One barge can hold enough grain to make 2.5 million loaves of bread.
Barges also save consumers and farmers money through more efficient fuel usage. The Corps claims a barge can move a ton of cargo 647 ton-miles on one gallon of fuel, which is more than by rail (477 miles) or by semi (145 miles).
Water transportation purportedly produces fewer greenhouse gases: 15.6 metric tons per million ton-miles versus 21.2 for rail and 154.1 for trucking.
According to Joel Moser, a worker at the lock and dam, water vessels have a tiered system to establish priority when passing through locks and dams. Government boats have the highest priority, while passenger boats, barges and pleasure craft follow in that order.
Thiese said Lock 10 employees have an eclectic list of duties to complete each day.
“If we’re not actively locking boats, we’re doing maintenance. We might be mowing the lawn, painting, or doing electrical maintenance. There’s always something to do,” he said.
The St. Paul District is responsible for the 13 locks and dams between Minneapolis, Minn., and Guttenberg, Iowa. The district also maintains a 9-foot navigation channel for water transport.
Projects
According to Jay Grimsled, the Lock and Dam 10 lockmaster, the Corps plans to sandblast and paint the roller and retainer gates at some point in the future, but there isn’t a specific date set yet.
The lock has not experienced any difficulties working with the Upper Mississippi River Restoration island project taking place to the north on the river.
The UMRR project includes dredging in the navigation channel and along Bussey Lake, which helps water transport down the river.
The dredging and island restoration are essential to keep the river as a viable means of transporting goods across long distances.
“Eventually, if they didn’t do anything, this whole area would be one big, shallow channel, and there’d be no features to it,” said Thiese.
