This lock helped build Minneapolis. Now it's closing.

The Upper St. Anthony Falls lock, which began passing ships up and down the Mississippi River in 1963, will close in June. The closing is part of an effort to keep invasive carp from spreading into Minnesota's northern waters, including lakes Itasca, Bemidji and Mille Lacs.

Read the story at Minnesota Public Radio.

Construction shipper seeks loading access at U

A major shipper in the Twin Cities area has approached the University of Minnesota about using its riverside dock in Minneapolis for loading of sand and gravel, setting off alarms among river and neighborhood advocates. Eagan-based Aggregate Industries’ proposal highlights how seriously the company is taking the loss of its ability to ship through St. Anthony Falls next June.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Gov. Dayton proposes more, and better enforced, buffer strips along lakes and rivers

Gov. Mark Dayton stunned but delighted Minnesota’s leading conservationists Friday by announcing that he’ll push for a new law this legislative session that would require every lake and river in the state to be buffered by a wide strip of natural land, a significant step toward protecting both water and wildlife.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Last tow leaves region, navigation season one of shortest

The towboat Sheryl B. Reeves pushed six loaded barges through the Genoa, Wis., Lock and Dam 8 at 3:40 p.m. Sunday and was soon out of Minnesota waters, ending the commercial navigation season in this region.

Read more in the Rochester (Minn.) Post-Bulletin.

River infrastructure, a story too big to ignore

UMWA members and others who understand the vital economic role of river infrastructure have long hoped that it will not take a lengthy shutdown on the Mississippi to finally bring focused national attention to its acute needs. And there is evidence that the condition of the system’s locks and dams has become a story too big to ignore.

Read more in Waterways, a publication of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association.

Shipping infrastructure problems roiling the river

Autumn means rush hour on the Mississippi River, and this year looks to be even more frantic than most. . . . Some of the effects are being seen in supplies of cement and road salt, key commodities shipped upriver. Heading downriver, to which 60 to 70 percent of U.S. grain exports are shipped, silt has put a crimp on shipping capacity from Minnesota river ports.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Cement Shortage Causes Construction Headaches

Less than a year after the state struggled through a severe propane shortage, another vital commodity is in short supply.

Watch or read these interview with ARM President Jerry Lang.