U.S. Gulf: The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood watch in the New Orleans area on March 10-12 in response to a forecast for 7-13 inches of rain. The New Orleans river gauge read 12.7 feet and rising on March 10, while Baton Rouge was above the 30-foot action stage at 31.38 feet and rising.
Algiers Lock navigation was delayed 8-19 hours for the week, shippers said, with as many as 30 boats queued during peak hours. Industrial Lock logged 7-14 hour wait times with nine vessels waiting to lock. Transit through Bayou Sorrel Lock averaged 6-12 hours with 14 vessels in line, and Port Allen Lock reported wait times in the 3-4 hour range.
Industrial Lock was closed to daylight transit on March 9. An unscheduled fall closure at the lock is expected to cause substantial delays. The Corps previously planned to dredge the Baptiste Collette channel for use as an alternate route during the 90-day closure, but a lack of funding to complete the dredge work will leave the Corps without a viable detour, sources said.
Elevated river levels closed Charenton Lock for the week, and an excessive tidal surge kept the East Calumet Floodgate offline. Elevated readings from the West Calumet Floodgate’s east gauge closed that site for the week.
Harvey Lock transit, unavailable since Feb. 29, will remain offline through April 30. The Corps was said to be routing traffic through Algiers Lock, triggering delays.
Navigation through Calcasieu Lock carried a 28-hour wait on March 10, with 28 tows reported to be waiting for service. Clearance through the West Port Arthur Bridge was reduced by a minimum of three feet for the week, with painting and maintenance operations scheduled through April 30.
A tugboat pushing three barges struck the Black Bayou Bridge at Lake Charles, La., on March 7, temporarily closing the Intracoastal Waterway. A large backlog of vessels was waiting by the time of the bridge’s March 9 reopening. Daylight transit through the Galveston Causeway Railroad Bridge was unavailable on March 7-11.
The Corps extended repairs at Brazos Lock through April 29. Repairs to both the east and west floodgates have triggered intermittent shutdowns during daylight hours, Monday through Friday. Brazos Lock delays were called 2-4 hours for the week.
The Corps reported mechanical issues in the east and west chamber gates at Colorado Lock, extending navigation delays to 1-3 hours for the week.
Lower Mississippi River: A flash flood warning was in effect for central Mississippi for March 9-10, and a flash flood watch was issued for March 10-12.
Levels at Vicksburg continued to swell, reaching the 39.5-foot mark on March 10, above the region’s 36-foot action stage. The NWS predicted levels would increase to 42 feet on March 14, just shy of the 43-foot flood stage.
The Memphis area fell under a flood warning on March 9. That gauge read 26.58 feet on March 10, but was predicted to recede over the coming week. Action stage at Memphis begins at 28 feet.
Upper Mississippi River: Shippers reported rainfall in the Upper Mississippi Basin for the week, and hinted that tow lengths could be restricted should levels rise too quickly.
Lock 27 transit times were called 1-4 hours. Navigation through Lock 20 came in at 1-2 hours, while Mel Price Lock delays were reported at 1-2 hours.
Locks 13-17 opened to spring transit last week. Repairs and seasonal maintenance at Lock 9 are scheduled to conclude March 12, opening that lock for the season. Twin Cities-area locks remained closed to navigation on March 10, but sources expected those to return to service late in the week of March 13.
River levels at St. Louis were at 12.96 feet and rising on March 10, and were forecast to peak at 15 feet on March 12-13.
Illinois River: Heavy rains were expected to slow transits on the Illinois River.
Lockport Lock waits were reported at under an hour for the week, while Dresden Island Lock transits were called 1-3 hours. Passage through Marseilles Lock required 2-3 hours, the same as Starved Rock Lock. The Peoria and LaGrange Locks both reported 1-2 hour waits.
Ohio River: High-water conditions on the Ohio River were reduced last week, shippers said, citing a return to “more or less normal” operating conditions.
River levels at Cincinnati fell to 30.75 feet on March 10, but were expected to swell to 35.9 feet by March 14. The Cairo gauge slipped to 37.22 feet on March 10, below the 40-foot flood stage, but forecasts called for levels to begin rising again around March 12.
Delays of roughly 1.5 hours were reported at Lock 53, and both the Dashields and Montgomery Locks saw wait times of 1-2 hours.
The Montgomery Lock auxiliary chamber is scheduled to close March 14 through April 1, with minimal delays expected. Montgomery’s main chamber will shut down May 16 through June 10, reopening to clear traffic on May 28-29 and June 4-5.
Major delays are expected at Geenup Lock starting April 1. The main chamber will be offline through Sept. 30, leaving the auxiliary chamber as the only option for transit.
New Cumberland Lock will shut its auxiliary unit April 4 through May 27, although transit windows are planned for April 16-17, April 30-May 1, and May 15-16. Emsworth Lock is penciled to shut down July 5 through Aug. 10, temporarily reopening on July 16-17 and July 30-31. Shippers expect substantial delays.
Water levels were improved on the Allegheny, Kanawha, and Big Sandy Rivers for the week, but high water was reported on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. The Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lock experienced sporadic 10-11 hour closures last week. Lock maintenance is scheduled to run through April 20.
On the Monongahela River, the Braddock Lock and Dam river chamber remained offline due to equipment failure. Vessels were required to use the site’s land chamber instead.
Arkansas River: Heavy rainfall on the Arkansas River caused shippers to cut tow lengths for the week. Further ahead in 2016, Webbers Falls Lock will close May 16-22, and again between Aug. 24 and Sept. 11, effecting a river shutdown.