The Corps has staged the trip for 32 years as a way
to bring the Corps, biologists and industry together to discuss the
importance of the Mississippi River to our nation. This was the first
year the NCGA was invited.
“NCGA appreciates the opportunity to speak to
members of the Corps and other groups,” said Max Starbuck, director
of livestock and economic analysis. “It was a great opportunity
to meet other people with an interest in improving our nation’s
inland waterways, in particular, the Mississippi River.”
The three-day trip started in St. Louis and stopped
yesterday at the Kaskaskia River near Chester, Ill. The trip continues
today, stopping at Cape Girardeau, Mo., and then concludes at Cairo,
Ill, on Wednesday. Monday’s presentations included: how a barge
company operates at a harbor; preliminary results of studies on pallid
sturgeon; the effects of wood piles and pile dikes on the river; and
the results of the creation of side channels and islands at various
points on the river.
One important program discussed was the Navigational
and Environmental Sustainability Program, which strives to keep the
navigational channel open and increase habitat diversity. By placing
rock and wood structures (such as wood piles, dikes and chevrons)
in strategic locations, the Corps has been able to deepen the channel
for navigation and create vibrant fish habitats in some areas.
“We have a lot of lofty ideas and goals that
we feel are very attainable to reach. And in order for those to be
successful, we have to keep our transportation system up to date,”
Starbuck told the audience. “Our competitors in South America
have a very up-to-date system. It’s important for us to update
ours so we can move our product and ensure we’re going to be
able to supply corn to our customers.”
The Corps is playing an important role in studying
the lock modernization for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
Updating the locks is important for the Corps as well, as it wants
to keep barge traffic moving in a timely and efficient manner.
“The navigation efficiency piece includes lock
extension to 1,200-foot chambers. Otherwise, the barges have to cut,”
said Peggy O’Bryan, chief of the Construction-Operations Readiness
Division for the St. Louis office of the Corps. “A double lockage,
where we have to cut the barges, would cut that time in half. Having
the 1200-foot chambers will expedite things.”