Corps seeks comments on Lock and Dam 7 mooring cell facilities

Lock and Dam 7. (Credit: USACE)

The St. Paul Engineer District is seeking comments on the draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment, or SEA, for the Lock and Dam 7 mooring cell facilities project in Dresbach, Minn.

The purpose of the project is to construct mooring facilities, including a mooring cell and mooring dolphin, on the Upper Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 7, for tows to tie off to while awaiting passage through the downstream lock.

A final determination on the draft SEA will be made following a 30-day public review period. A copy of the SEA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website. The Corps is conducting a review of the environmental effects in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act.

Comments on the draft SEA should be submitted no later than July 17. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to Elliott Stefanik, Corps biologist, elliott.l.stefanik@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101-1678.

All comments received will be made available to the public to include the possibility of being posted on a publicly accessible website. Individuals are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in their comments, unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public.

The St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot-deep navigation channel on the Upper Mississippi River and operates 12 locks and dams to support navigation from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy to reduce the stress on our roads and bridges. A 15-barge tow can move as much bulk commodities as 1,050 semis or more than 200 rail cars.