US Gulf:
Leland Bowman Lock operators instituted two-hour wait times between lockages during the week due to extremely low water levels, resulting in delays up to 52 hours. Thirty-five vessels were queued to lock on Aug. 31, according to Corps data.
Harvey Lock remained shut due to reverse head conditions. Repairs to the BNSF railroad bridge in Morgan City, La., were projected to kick off early in September. Algiers Lock is expected to close for 45-60 days for side gate repairs, beginning on Oct. 1. Algiers saw intermittent nine-hour waits during the week.
Ongoing guidewall repairs at Bayou Sorrel Lock limited navigation between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily, triggering waits up to six hours. The project is scheduled to continue into March 2024.
Slow-travel warnings were in effect at Bayou Chene due to dredging, which is scheduled to continue through Nov. 30. Daytime closures at Brazos Lock ran from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, prompting intermittent waits up to 23 hours. A mechanical malfunction on Aug. 29 forced an emergency shutdown at Colorado Lock, resulting in delays of up to seven hours. Service resumed later the same day.
Persistent delays in the Panama Canal stretched delivery windows in the US Gulf, sources said. Larger vessels were reportedly delayed by several days, while smaller cargoes were slowed by two weeks or more.
Industrial Lock delays were noted in a wide 5-22 hour range.
Mississippi River:
Maximum loading drafts were reduced by 15% on travel through the St. Louis area due to low water levels. Draft reductions between Cairo, Ill., and St. Louis improved slightly, to 15% from 20% reported last week.
On the lower river, drafts were cut by 20% on northbound movements between the Gulf and Cairo, while tows traveling downriver were reduced by 15-20%. Maximum tow sizes were also down 10-15% on lower river travel, depending on horsepower. Delivery delays ran up to 24-48 hours as a result.
The St. Louis river gauge was reported at (-)2.04 feet and falling on Aug. 31. Forecasts showed the gauge holding at a negative reading through at least Sept. 14. The gauge at Memphis fell to (-)3.55 feet on Aug. 31 and was projected to slip to a low-stage (-)6.00 feet on Sept. 14.
Dredging continued at Mile 540, where sources noted rolling 24-hour shutdowns and delays stretching to 24-36 hours. Dredging reported at Mile 653 did not impact navigation during the week. Repairs and maintenance at Old River Lock were scheduled to continue through Sept. 15, with delays reported in the 4-6 hour range.
The upper river’s planned shutdown for the winter navigation season is tentatively scheduled to run from Dec. 5 through March 5, 2024. In advance of the closures, final loadings from NOLA for barges destined north of Clinton, Iowa, are expected in the first week of October. Tons heading below Clinton will continue loading through the third week of October. Locks 18-27 are currently projected to remain open throughout the winter.
Illinois River:
Loading drafts were reduced by 15% for vessels transiting the Illinois Waterway, sources said, below the 5% level reported in mid-August. Wickets remained in the raised position at Peoria and LaGrange Locks due to low river levels.
Repair and maintenance work continued at Brandon Road Lock, Dresden Island Lock, and Marseilles Lock, shutting the river to commercial travel. The project is reportedly on track to conclude as scheduled on Sept. 30.
Ohio River:
Loading drafts were restricted to 10.0-10.5 feet on the Ohio River due to low water levels. On the Monongahela River, severely reduced flows held drafts to 8.5 feet.
The John T. Myers Lock auxiliary chamber is offline through Sept. 10 for miter gate repairs, with minimal delays reported. The primary chamber will be closed from Sept. 11 through Nov. 17, forcing detours through the auxiliary chamber. Repairs at Olmsted Lock, planned through Sept. 24, triggered delays up to seven hours during the week.
Alternating main and auxiliary chamber shutdowns are scheduled to begin on Sept. 2 at Montgomery Lock. Auxiliary chamber travel will be unavailable on Sept. 2-5, Sept. 25-Oct. 17, and Nov. 22-26, while the main chamber will close on Sept. 5-25, Oct. 17-Nov. 22, and Nov. 26-Dec. 22.
The Smithland Lock land chamber is due to shut from Sept. 22 through Oct. 21 for repairs and maintenance, followed by a river chamber outage running from Oct. 22 through Nov. 20. Tows were required to use an assist boat on southbound lockages during the week due to strong outflows.
Arkansas River:
Daytime-only navigation remained in place at the Port of Catoosa, sources noted. Webbers Falls Lock will close to navigation on Sept. 11-17 for repairs, while Joe Hardin Lock travel will be unavailable on Sept. 11-15 due to repairs and maintenance.