AUDIO: Deb Calhoun, Waterways Council, Inc.
Locks and Dam 52 on the Ohio River remains closed again and could affect grain transport.
As of Wednesday, the Ohio River remains Closed at Locks & Dam 52 due to rising river stages. Deb Calhoun is Senior Vice President of Waterways Council.
?We currently have a 57-mile back up on the river. There are 51 towboats in the queue with 564 barges. Definitely have trouble in river city,? Calhoun says.
Calhoun stresses farmers in the area are becoming concerned about moving grain down the river.
?Unfortunately, we see more and more of these unscheduled emergency outages on the system particularly at 52 and 53. This is 1928 technology. Eventually these will be taken down and replaced by Olmstead Lock and Dam which has been in construction for the last 30 years,? Calhoun says.
The new Locks and Dam is expected to be open by 2018. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to fix the current problem. Calhoun says the Locks and Dam 52 won?t likely be open until Monday.
