Upper Miss Navigation Season Draws to a Close

MarineLink December 14, 2023

The last tow of the 2023 navigation season: The towboat Thomas Erickson departed Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa, Dec. 3, with 15 barges. (Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District)

The 2023 navigation season has drawn to a close on the Upper Mississippi River.

A 15-barge tow pushed by the towboat Thomas Erickson, the last of the season, departed Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa, December 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District said.

The 2023 season commence March 12, when the towboat Phillip M Pfeffer broke its way through the ice of Lake Pepin to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota.

With the 2023 navigation season in the rearview, St. Paul District staff will remain busy this coming winter with maintenance projects at Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn.; Lock and Dam 3, near Welch, Minn.; Lock and Dam 4, near Alma, Wis.; and Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minn. The work is scheduled for completion in March 2024, and will help ensure the navigation channel continues to support the regional economy for the movement of bulk commodities such as corn, soybeans, cement and fertilizer, the Corps said.