U.S. Gulf: Elevated water levels were reported in the Gulf shipping region last week, leading to towing restrictions and associated transit delays, particularly in the southbound direction.
The Baton Rouge gauge was clocked in the minor-flood stage at 36.7 feet on March 17, and the NWS issued a March 16 flood warning for the area. Levels were forecast to peak at 37 feet on March 19 before slowly tapering off.
The gauge at Natchez showed levels approaching the 51-foot moderate-stage flood zone, registering at 50.56 feet on March 17. The New Orleans gauge read 14.33 feet on that date, below the 17-foot minimum flood stage.
Shippers quoted Algiers Lock wait times were in the range of 12-23 hours on an average 25 boats waiting for service. The delays were attributed to work underway at Harvey Lock, with the Corps routing traffic through Algiers until April 30.
Transit through Bayou Sorrel Lock was called 6-10 hours for the week with six vessels in the queue. A differential of greater than three feet between the lock’s flood- and land-side gauges triggered towing restrictions at the lock. Industrial Lock navigation was called 4-10 hours with 13 boats in line, and Port Allen Lock delays were quoted in the 8-13 hour range with 13 tows waiting to lock.
Industrial Lock is scheduled to close for approximately 90 days in fall 2016. The Corps has not yet released a start date for the closure. Sources said a lack of funding has forced the Corps to back off from plans to dredge the Baptiste Collette channel for use as an alternate route during the shutdown. The project is expected to proceed without a viable detour in place, sources said.
High water levels closed both the Charenton and East Calumet Floodgates again last week, and elevated readings in the West Calumet Floodgate’s east gauge closed that structure.
Calcasieu Lock navigation carried a 1-3 hour delay for the week. Travel clearance through the West Port Arthur Bridge is reduced by a minimum three feet until April 30. Painting and maintenance operations were in progress at the site, sources said.
Dredging in the West Canal snagged traffic in the Galveston area, shippers said. The work has narrowed the channel to approximately 70 feet of navigable width, prompting some shippers to switch to daylight-travel-only through the site.
Wait times of 10-16 hours were reported at Brazos Lock for the week, where an average 16 vessels were queued for service. An intermittent shutdown warning has been extended through April 29 at the site. Repairs to both the east and west floodgates could unexpectedly halt navigation during daylight hours, Monday through Friday.
Lower Mississippi River: High water levels were reported on the Lower Mississippi, starting at Cairo and extending through to the Gulf.
Both a flood warning and flood advisory were issued for the Vicksburg area on March 16. Vicksburg depths were reported at 43.08 feet on March 17, above the 43-foot minimum flood stage. The NWS expected levels to recede slowly, sliding below flood stage on March 18-19.
Memphis was also subject to a flood warning on March 16.
Upper Mississippi River: Lock times at the Upper Mississippi’s Lock 27 were reported in the 2-4 hour range last week, with two vessels in line to lock on March 17. Lock 20 traffic waited 1-2 hours for service, shippers said. Mel Price Lock also reported delays of 1-2 hours.
Lock 9 opened for spring transit on March 12, and shippers expected to see St. Paul-area locks reopen for the season by late in the week. The Upper Mississippi’s northernmost lock, Lock and Dam 5A, started operations on March 15, but the St. Anthony Falls Upper and Lower Locks had not yet opened to traffic on March 17.
The St. Louis river gauge read 13.84 feet and rising on March 17, with forecasts calling for a 17.5-foot crest on March 23-24.
Illinois River: The Corps reported wait times at the Thomas J. O’Brien Lock as high as 12 hours for the week. Dresden Island Lock transit fell in the 1-2 hour range, and Marseilles Lock delays were quoted at 90 minutes.
Starved Rock Lock and Dam reported delays of 1-4 hours for the week, and wickets were lowered at the LaGrange and Peoria Locks, allowing vessels to pass without locking.
Ohio River: Healthy Ohio River levels allowed Locks 52 and 53 to lower wickets, allowing tows to pass at will. Congestion nevertheless pushed transit through Lock 53 to the 1-2 hour range, while Lock 52 passage was possible in minutes. Montgomery Lock and Dam reported waits in the 1-2 hour range.
Levels in the Cincinnati area flirted with the 40-foot action stage last week, reading 39.76 feet on March 17. NWS predictions called for depths to touch the 39.9-foot mark on March 18 before dropping precipitously. Cairo levels were flat at 37.02 feet on March 17, higher than the gauge’s 35-foot action stage. Flood stage at Cairo starts at 40 feet.
The auxiliary chamber at Montgomery Lock shut down on March 14 and is scheduled to reopen April 1. Montgomery’s main chamber is slated to close May 16 through June 10, but will reopen to pass waiting traffic on May 28-29 and June 4-5.
A Greenup Lock main chamber closure slated to begin April 1 is expected to cause “major delays,” shippers said. The shutdown will extend through Sept. 30, forcing all navigation through the auxiliary unit.
The New Cumberland Lock auxiliary chamber will go offline April 4 through May 27, with temporary openings slated for April 16-17, April 30 through May 1, and May 15-16.
Significant delays are expected at Emsworth Lock starting July 5, thanks to a shutdown planned through Aug. 10. The lock will pass queued traffic on July 16-17 and July 30-31.
A March 21 closure of the Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock main chamber could trigger daily transit delays of eight hours, shippers said. The closure is scheduled to run through March 25, and shippers warned that the auxiliary chamber would not be available for use. An intermittent closure warning remained in place at Chickamauga Lock, where maintenance is scheduled through April 20.
On the Monongahela River, the Braddock Lock and Dam river chamber remained unavailable due to an ongoing equipment failure, forcing vessels through the site’s land chamber. Charleroi Lock is set to shut down completely Aug. 21 through Sept. 29.
Arkansas River: Tow lengths returned to normal for the week, shippers said, after heavy rains prompted restrictions the week before.
Webbers Falls Lock is scheduled to undergo an upstream closure on May 16-22, followed by a shutdown in the downstream direction from Aug. 24 through Sept. 11.