2020 Fall Farm Outlook

PAGE 20 2020 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS October 28, 2020 The five locks receiving maintenance in 2020 are Dresden Island lock and dam at Morris, Illinois, Marseilles lock and dam, Starved Rock lock and dam in Utica, Peoria lock and dam, and the LaGrange lock and dam at Beardstown. Maintenance at Dresden Island will resume in 2023 as well as refurbishment of the locks at Brandon Road in Joliet. On the Illinois River system, the dams are designed to restrict flooding and reserve water depth at a minimum of eight feet for barge and river traffic. The course of the river has been changed: originally the river flowed north into Lake Michigan. It was changed to flow south to connect Chicago to the Mississippi river. On the Illinois River system, the dams are designed to restrict flooding and reserve water depth at a minimum of eight feet for barge and river traffic. The course of the river has been changed: originally the river flowed north into Lake Michigan. It was changed to flow south to connect Chicago to the Mississippi river. At Chicago the elevation of the river is at 577 feet above sea level, at Brandon Road in Joliet 539 feet, at Dresden Island in Morris 505 feet, 483 feet at Marseilles, 458 feet at Starved Rock, 440 feet at Peoria, and finally at 430 feet at the LaGrange lock and dam at Beardstown. The locks are designed to raise and lower boats and barges to gain access as the elevation decreases so significantly from north to south. The Corps selected the summer months for the project to provide the best chance of avoiding work delays from spring floods and take advantage of lower shipping volumes during that time to have as little impact on the navigation industry as possible. The Corps also wanted as little disruption as possible to the flow of Ag products from the 2020 fall harvest. The Illinois Waterway System averages 13.3 million tons of cargo that passes through this lock system each year. [Snipped map from Google Map Data https://goo. gl/maps/vSa5kmRcDNRjNjQE6] [Image from DTN Progressive Farmer] CONTINUE X