U.S. Gulf: High-water conditions continued to slow lock operation in the Gulf. An 11.4-foot water differential between Industrial Lock’s river- and canal-side gauges contributed to a 34-boat queue on May 17, with sources estimating delays in the 26-34 hour range. Port Allen Lock waits were reported at six hours while facing a 32-foot water differential. Algiers Lock waits were called 7-8 hours.
The Baton Rouge, La., river gauge crossed above the 35-foot minor flood stage on May 13, reading 36.69 feet and rising on May 17. The NWS predicted a major-flood-level crest at 41 feet on May 25, and the gauge is expected to continue above flood stage into early June, at a minimum. New Orleans remained below the 17-foot flood stage at 14.3 feet and rising on May 17.
The Brazos River Floodgates are closed to navigation on Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., through May 31. Sources estimated Brazos Lock waits at 3-7 hours on May 17, with 10 boats queued to lock. Dredging underway in the West Canal slowed transits at Miles 395-400. The dredge is working on a 24-hour, seven-day schedule until further notice. Vessel operators are requested to contact the dredge for passing instructions prior to arrival.
Harvey Lock is scheduled to undergo a full dewatering shutdown for repairs and maintenance in August and September. Sources described a tentative Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 closure window. Algiers Lock will be tapped as an alternate route while Harvey is offline, and transit delays are expected.
Mississippi River: Mississippi River navigation continued to be slowed by high water and fast flows.
Levels returned to normal immediately south of the Twin Cities area, but persistent high water forced the Corps to open dams to full-bore below Dubuque, Iowa, resulting in fast, unpredictable flows and a 20 percent cut to barge counts. Shippers expected the reductions to slow transits by at least 2-4 days.
Tows were reduced by 5-10 barges between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill., with navigation further delayed by a daylight-only running restriction in the area slated to last as long as flooding persists.
Southbound tows were reduced by a reported 5-15 barges between Cairo and Baton Rouge. Vessels were required to run during daylight hours only through the Memphis and Vicksburg, Miss., areas, precipitating additional delays of 2-3 days.
A pair of 36-hour closures were scheduled to interrupt Lock 11 navigation on May 16-19 and again on May 23-26. The river will be fully closed at Lock 11 during the shutdowns. The Lock 15 auxiliary chamber is unavailable through Aug. 3.
Delays of 3-4 hours were heard at Locks 20 and 22, while the Corps reported average delays of more than six hours at both Lock 24 and Lock 25 on May 17. Mel Price Lock and Dam experienced scattered waits of more than 24 hours on May 16-17.
Illinois River: Shippers reported widespread navigation delays on the Illinois Waterway, with slowdowns evident in pickups, drop-offs, and total transit times. At least 1-2 days of extra travel time were required for area navigation. The Beardstown, Ill., river gauge registered 22.9 feet on May 16, considerably above the 14-foot minor-flood threshold.
Ohio River: High-water operating conditions persisted on the Lower Ohio River last week. Paducah, Ky., remained slightly above the 39-foot minor flood stage on May 16, while the Cairo gauge registered a moderate-flood-stage 49.4 feet on May 17. NWS forecasts called for Cairo to remain at flood stage through May 23, with action-stage levels predicted to last until May 26-27.
Meldahl Lock repair and maintenance activities, underway since May 7, are scheduled to force traffic through the lock’s auxiliary unit until Oct. 2. The Corps estimated Meldahl wait times at just under eight hours on May 17.
Demolition work was scheduled to block Ironton-Russell Bridge transit at Miles 326-328 on May 17, with follow-up closures planned for May 29 and June 15. The Greenup Lock main chamber will be unavailable for daylight transit Monday through Thursday, June 5 through July 21. The main chamber at Cannelton Lock will shut down July 5 through Sept. 5, with “excessive” delays anticipated.
Emsworth Lock will close its main chamber to daylight travel June 26 through Sept. 22. Navigation will to subject to an 80-foot width restriction and limited to the hours between midnight and 8:00 a.m. Sources reported the lock will also reopen to navigation every other weekend.
Lock 52 will intermittently lose its auxiliary chamber to repairs July 17 through Sept. 29. The Belleville Lock main chamber will be offline Oct. 2 through Dec. 7, with delays expected.
Shippers described a return to normal operating conditions on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers last week. The Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock has experienced intermittent daylight-hour shutdowns since April 17 due to ongoing repairs. The work is slated to conclude on June 8.
Shippers bemoaned excessive delays on the Monongahela River, where Lock 4 is closed to weekday navigation. Vessel traffic is limited to weekend locking only via the site’s auxiliary chamber, with transit limited to a single barge per locking for the duration of the shutdown, scheduled through June 20.
Arkansas River: Limited navigation returned to the Arkansas River for the first time in more than two weeks. While Catoosa itself was said to be operational on May 15, shippers reported being unable to reach it given the current conditions. However, terminal sources reported that Catoosa had become reachable by “small tows” on May 17, with vessels restricted to daylight-only navigation.
Boats were “moving cautiously” at Little Rock, and despite Muskogee, Okla., being open for docking, sources reported elevated water levels preventing barges from loading or unloading on May 15.
Dive operations are scheduled to close Dardanelle Lock on June 9-11 and Sept. 5-14.