Dan Burger, lockmaster at Lock and Dam 7, in La Crescent, Minnesota, provides an overview of the importance of navigation on the Mississippi River and the importance of the lock and dam system in maintaining navigation. Shipping on the Mississippi River is vital to the nation's economy. 700 million tons of commodities are shipped on the Mississippi River annually. Commodities include fertilizer, grain, and soybeans. A 15-barge tow carries the same amount of commodities as 1,050 semi-trailers .
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and its contractor, L.S. Marine, Inc., of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, will mobilize in the next few weeks, to begin moving 450,000 cubic yards of river sand from the Corps Island temporary placement site near Welch, Minnesota, to a permanent upland placement site.
