U.S. Gulf and Atlantic:

Massive amounts of debris clogging the West Canal following Hurricane Ida have forced a navigational shutdown between NOLA and Morgan City, La., while cleanup is underway.

The project, requiring specialized dredging equipment due to the nature of the material, was projected to run into late October. Prior to the shutdown, the West Canal was reported closed at Miles 18-20, with navigation warnings in place at Miles 23-33 and Miles 53-54.

Coast Guard data continued to show a partial shutdown of the Houma Navigational Canal, while Port Fourchon travel was noted available during daylight hours only.

Corps data showed significant ongoing backups through Port Allen Lock as operators work to balance vessel inflows and outflows between the Canals and the lower Mississippi River. Delays were noted up to 44 hours for the week, with 34 tows counted in line to lock on Sept. 28.

Algiers Lock continued to see length and width restrictions on unassisted lockages moving through the structure. Tows measuring wider than 60 feet were capped at 600 feet of length, while those narrower than 60 feet were not permitted lengths in excess of 700 feet. The caps limited movements to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers, although larger crossings were reportedly available with industry assistance.

Belle Chasse Bridge replacement efforts are expected to trigger intermittent delays up to 12 hours through late 2022. Located at Mile 3 in the West Canal, delays in the area could affect Algiers Lock as well, sources warned.

Weekday movements through Bayou Boeuf Lock were available from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., while 24-hour access was available on Saturday and Sunday. Corps data revealed intermittent delays through the lock stretching to 24 hours during the week.

Wait times at Industrial Lock ran to 26 hours, while movements were noted up to 12 hours through the Colorado Floodgates. Colorado Lock is scheduled to shut weekdays for guidewall rehab between Oct. 4 and Nov. 1. The shutdowns are expected to block transit through both the eastern and western locks.

The National Hurricane Center was tracking Hurricane Sam in the western Atlantic during the week. Located north of the Lesser Antilles and pegged as a powerful Category 4 storm on Sept. 30, Sam was expected to swing to the northeast in the days ahead, potentially bypassing the North American land mass in the process.

Tropical Storm Victor was forming in the eastern Atlantic on Sept. 30. Although the storm was expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the days ahead, Victor was not expected to pose a threat to North America.

Mississippi River:

A mix of falling water levels and unpredictable currents triggered a continuation of barge restrictions on lower Mississippi River travel. Northbound vessels were especially limited, with tows reduced by 5-10 barges and determined on a case-by-case basis.

Sources said Dredge Hurley was continuing to operate at Mile 742 on the lower river. No navigation delays were expected from the operation.

The Lock 15 auxiliary chamber was scheduled to shut from Oct. 11 through Dec. 1 for seasonal repairs. The site’s main chamber is tentatively slated to close from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2022. Lock 5A, Lock 8, and Lock 10 are tentatively due to go offline for winter servicing from Dec. 6 through March 24, 2022.

Illinois River:

Falling water levels kept wickets raised at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock during the week. Dresden Island Lock delays were noted up to five hours, while intermittent seven-hour waits were reported at Marseilles Lock and Dam.

Ohio River:

Pike Island Lock construction activities were noted shutting the main chamber to daytime navigation on Sept. 28-30, forcing travel through the auxiliary section. The closures were scheduled to run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.

The Cannelton Lock primary chamber was slated to remain offline through Nov. 19 due to repair activities in progress since June 21, leaving passage available solely through the secondary chamber. Intermittent shutdowns are expected at the site’s auxiliary chamber on Nov. 1-19 due to planned repairs.

Montgomery Lock’s main chamber is scheduled to shut from Oct. 18 through Dec. 17, forcing movements through the secondary chamber. Lengthy delays are expected. The primary lock chamber at Hannibal Lock is reportedly offline through Oct. 29 for planned repairs, prompting detours through the site’s 600-foot secondary chamber.

Sources reported an ongoing shutdown of the Dashields Lock secondary chamber due to an underwater obstruction blocking use of that chamber’s miter gate.

Willow Island Lock is scheduled to kick off a main chamber shutdown on Oct. 1, prompting passage through the auxiliary chamber through Oct. 31. The site’s secondary chamber was scheduled to return from repairs on Sept. 30.

Structural miter gate damage will block use of the Markland Lock auxiliary chamber through an estimated Oct. 29. Originally reported in first-half 2020, the damage has forced all traffic to pass through the main chamber.

Falling water levels allowed Olmstead Lock to raise wickets on Sept. 28-29. Once completed, the move was expected to mark a return to lockages through the site.

On the Tennessee River, emergency miter gate repairs forced traffic through the Pickwick Landing Lock 600-foot auxiliary chamber, producing delays up to 5.5 hours during the week.

Staggered one-way lockages remained in effect at Wilson Lock for the week. Southbound travel was reportedly available during daytime hours, while tows moving to the north were greenlit overnight. Wait times were quoted up to nine hours as a result.

Kentucky Lock travel was delayed up to 20 hours for the week. The site is scheduled to fully shut to navigation from Nov. 1 through Dec. 10, with a four-day reopening tentatively slated for Nov. 25-28 to pass waiting vessels.

Bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) maintenance was in effect at the Cumberland River’s Barkley Lock, blocking daily movements between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. through Oct. 5.

Main chamber access at Lock 2 on the Monongahela River is unavailable through Oct. 15 due to planned maintenance. Traffic was reported running through the secondary chamber, pushing delays to 26 hours for the week.

Arkansas River:

The Arkansas River reportedly returned to full navigation on Sept. 25 after an emergency dredging project closed the river at Miles 9-10 for much of the prior week.

Joe Hardin Lock will undergo intermittent travel shutdowns on Oct. 19-21, a Corps posting indicated. Similar closures were indicated at Emmett Sanders Lock on Oct. 26-28.