ST. PAUL, Minn. – Barge traffic on the Mississippi River fell 13% through Winona area locks this year, the Army Corps of Engineers reported. The Corps offered no explanation in its annual lockage report. Undoubtedly, however a factor was that hundreds of barges hung up in low water south of St. Louis and blocked navigation off and on. At Winona area locks, barge traffic was 7% below its 10-year average. The area’s 2022 commercial lockages:

> Dam 5 (Minneiska):  3,877 barges (7 million tons).

> Dam 5A (Fountain City): 3.889 barges (6 million tons).

> Dam 6 (Trempealeau): 4,991 barges (8 million tons)

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