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US Army Corps of Engineers
Ken Lynch
A brief analysis of the US Army Corps of Engineers role in locks and dams
US Army Corps of Engineers
Ken Lynch
A brief analysis of the US Army Corps of Engineers role in locks and dams

US Army Corps of Engineers

Nature has constructed a labyrinth of highways perfect for resourceful materials handling. The web of rivers cutting their way throughout this country comprises the United States Inland Waterway System. There are over 12,000 navigable miles carrying almost 625 million tons of commodities annually on the rivers (C. James Kruse). An in depth look in one of the oldest methods of transportation describes the design, creation, implementation, and maintenance of locks and dams as conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers. A closer look will also be taken at the history of the US ACE. A brief explanation of what is the inland waterway helps to understand the significance the US Army Corps of Engineers has played in shaping the capacity of waterborne transportation.
The United States has used rivers for materials handling dating back hundreds of years. As time went on, the potential for using rivers became more and more apparent. Locks and dams had to be constructed to fully utilize the waterways. The rivers were already in place but for barges to travel up and down the rivers the implementation of locks and dams alleviated the problems arising from drops in river elevation or shallow areas. For instance, a river’s elevation may drop 400 feet over the course of 600 miles; this unsafe drop causes rapids and small waterfall systems detrimental to tow barges traversing the rivers (Inland Waterways | 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure). To relieve these problems, to date, almost 200 lock and dam sites have been constructed in the U.S. (C. James Kruse). Locks and dams allow the river’s level to be kept more constant by regulating water flow. When a barge system enters a chamber of a lock, the water level is raised or lowered to the same level as the outgoing side. Once the water is equal to the outgoing side the barge is able to continue on its path. The significance of this transportation mode has enormous implications on the United States in many ways.
The history of the US ACE dates back as far as 1775 when congress established the Continental Army with provision for a Chief Engineer, as stated in The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A History. During this point in American history, civil unrest was leading the nation to war. George Washington saw the need and capacity of engineers for building fortifications and technical abilities. After the country was clear of wars during the 19th century, pioneers and immigrants started settling further west with the idea of growth and prosperity. Also in the early 19th century was the establishment of a Corps of Engineers Academy at West Point. The role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during these times was the construction of roads to help travelers along their ways. In 1839 the ACE oversaw the construction of the first cast-iron arch bridge in the United States in Brownsville, Pennsylvania (Library of Congress 2008). With the engineers already established proficiency with technical abilities, navigation along rivers drew the attention and need for improvements. Within the first couple decades of the 1800’s the ACE was already conducting surveys and experimenting with safer navigation for inland waterway transportation. The History of the US Army Corps of Engineers identified in 1824 an act to improve the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, which initiated permanent civil works construction mission.
Today the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plays a critical role in our nations infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of tons of commodities are shipped annually through locks and dams, which are designed, built, and maintained by the ACE. The Corps is a broad-ranging engineer force of highly qualified civilians and Soldiers, working with our partners to deliver innovative and effective solutions to the Nation’s engineering challenges (Library of Congress 2008). The USACE employs nearly 37,00 civilians and Soldiers in more than 130 countries (Library of Congress 2008).
Commerce was driving the need for waterway development and the necessity of improving inland waterways soon becomes the main focus by Congress. By the turn of the century, the concentration of water transportation led to the expansion of inland waterways. Leading up to the Corps dedicated role in inland water navigation was the Mississippi River Commission to execute a comprehensive flood control and navigation plan on the Lower Mississippi (Library of Congress 1998). Nature provided the foundation for waterborne commerce with 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways. But the true interconnectedness of all these rivers would come with projects completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Establishing a system to intertwine the rivers and coastal waterways provided a well being for America’s economy. Waterborne commerce, recognized by experts to be the least expensive and least energy-consumptive means of transportation, is the logical choice for shippers of energy-producing commodities (Library of Congress 1998). In essence, the necessity for building locks and dams was illustrated by the demand of shipping products during these industrial-prospering times.
The first major undertaking by the Army Corps of Engineers was in 1874 with the construction of the Davis Island Project (Library of Congress 2008). The 7 year project was a 110’ by 600’ Chanoine wicket dam 5 miles below Pittsburgh, as stated in The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A history. The dam was composed of 305 separate Chanoine wickets and 3 weirs (Library of Congress 2008). The picture on the previous page illustrates this earlier type of dam used for regulating the river. During times the water level was naturally high enough, boats were able to safely pass over the wooden planks because they could be lowered. The picture to the left shows a maneuverboat that used a crane to raise the wickets in to place powered by steam. A stem connected to the board would then lock in place, holding the wicket up to raise the water. Modern designs proved more practical and useful with the advent of improved technology.
The modern era of lock and dam sites we see today regulate the river’s depth allowing for safe passage of boats and barges. Locks are a chamber built in to the river with gates at each end. Boats enter the lock and water flows from that lock to the next, thus, raising or lowering the level of water. Next, a gate will open and the boat will proceed to the next lock. The process repeats itself until the boat exits the last lock and returns to the river system. A series of locks enable river vessels to “step” up or down a river or canal from one water level to another, as stated in Locks and Dams. The first use of this type of system was in the design and building of Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Mississippi River located between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. A further explanation of locks and dams will be discussed by describing Lock and Dam No. 1 in more detail. Construction for these behemoth structures can take over a decade to complete. As in the case of Lock and Dam No. 1, construction broke ground in 1903 and completed in 1917 (Library of Congress 1998). A 30’ high dam was constructed to regulate flow of water and increase the channel depth to 4 ½ ‘. Later construction of Lock and Dam No. 2 would provide a 9’ channel depth located further upstream (River and Harbor). The first lock has a chamber that is 56’ wide and 400’ long. The upper elevation is 725’ and lower pool elevation of 687’. Passage of the 37’ drop is safely maintained by the series of locks. Lock and dam sites have a projected life expectancy of roughly 50 years. At the end of their life cycle a costly rehabilitation is implemented to maintain the integrity of the structure. The U.S. Army Corps of engineers use tens of millions of dollars and close to a decade to give the locks a facelift. With hundreds of thousands of tons of shipments being transported annually on our nation’s river, it is essential to maintain these locks and dams for the vitality of commerce and transportation in general. The USACE has more than an arduous task of keeping up with all the sites, especially with limited funding. Currently, 54% of the Inland Marine Transportation System’s (IMTS) structures are more than 50 years old and 36% are more than 70 years old, as stated in America’s Locks & Dams. The significance of these numbers lie in the fact that outdated locks cause delays in transportation up and down the river. Delays and budget overruns have become so severe that they are causing other projects to lose funding or be delayed by a number of years (C. James Kruse). Updating a lock and dam consists of replacing the gates on the locks, upgrading valves, and improving the lighting (Logan). For example, Lock 27 near the Chain of Rocks Canal near downtown St. Louis had a 5-year project for improvements that totaled nearly $53 million. Reasons for improvements range from equipment failure to nature’s enduring impact. As in the case of Lock and Dam No. 2, foundation issues caused malfunctions in daily operations of the lock and chambers. The settling of the foundation caused rotation of the original lock wall and affected the operation of the miter gates (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Another problem the ACE controls is due to a lock’s position on a bend in the river. At Lock and Dam No. 3 a current is created that pushes towboats and barges away from the lock and toward the gated part of the dam resulting in many accidents, including 11 incidents since 1968 when tows collided with the gated part of the dam, as stated in Upper Mississippi River Locks & Dams article. The resulting damage can cause the roller gates to not work properly and leads to erosion of embankments. The erosion could result in a river pool drawdown: a process when water levels in the upper river pool drop, leading to an increase of water levels on the downstream side. Design and improvements are illustrated to remedy the problem for Lock and Dam No. 3. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed an 862’ long guide wall that would assist towboats and barges as they enter the lock. Also, embankment improvements included engineered embankments by the ACE to sustain current water levels and help prevent drawdown. Erosion protection was placed on the upper part of the lock and dam to help with environmental impacts.
Funding for these projects come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Inland Waterway Trust Fund. The latter collects taxes for diesel fuel on rivers, about 20 cents per gallon. Maintaining the system is limited and doesn’t allow the ACE to fully implement its capabilities. In 2012, the Inland Waterway Trust Fund collected $89.2 million, which, with the Corps match, means $178.4 million was available for lock projects (Logan). The funds collected are merely a fraction of the billions of dollars needed to update the aging system.

One of the main rivers for transportation is the Mississippi River that stretches from Minneapolis to New Orleans. The upper Mississippi river is separated in to three districts: St. Paul District, Rock Island District, and St. Louis District. These 3 districts are comprised of 29 lock and dam sites completed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Stated in Upper Mississippi Locks & Dams; there’s nearly 1200 miles of navigable waterway in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Most of the construction on these sites was during the 1930’s. The role the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has played in the economy can be seen in the savings produced from waterway transportation. It is estimated that the Upper Mississippi River annually generates nearly $1 billion of transportation cost savings compared with operation and maintenance costs of $115 million (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

I chose the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the role it has played in utilizing the natural resources. Rivers are a powerful force of nature and I feel it’s quite the feat of harnessing its enduring power. Not only is waterborne transportation an effective means for shipping commerce and travelers, but also it is economical and much more environmentally friendly than the other modes. Advances in technology and designs gave way to the present day locks and dams that regulate channel depth. The need came from the demand in the 18th century as explorers traveled further from settled areas. The rise of steamboats and the disasters encountered from free flowing rivers also contributed to the need of controlling rivers. The creation and implementation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has played a vital role in meeting these demands as time progressed. Its place in inland waterway transportation has been integral for the industry and our economy as a whole. The Corps of Engineers has molded a footprint in history as a group that has essentially built our waterborne transportation and maintaining the structural integrity of locks and dams.

Works Cited
C. James Kruse, Annie Protopapas. America’s Locks & Dams: “A Ticking Time Bomb For Agriculture?”. Report. Houston: Center for Ports and Waterways, 2011.
C. James Kruse, Annie Protopapas, Leslie E. Olson, David H. Bierling. A Modal Comparison of Domestic Freight Transportation Effects on the General Public. Report. Houston: Center for Ports and Waterways, 2007.
Chris Clark, Kevin E. Henrickson, Paul Thoma. "An Overview of the U.S. Inland Waterway System." Report. 2005.
Goin, Linda. Overview on U.S. Inland Waterways. 26 April 2013 <http://www.buyandhold.com/bh/en/education/mom/linda/2012/mom467.html>.
Inland Waterways | 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. 2009. 26 April 2013 <http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/2009/fact-sheet/inland-waterways>.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A History. Office of History. Alexandria , Virginia. 2008
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. The History of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Office of History. Alexandria, Virginia. 1998
Logan, Tim. "Stltoday.com." Stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Lyng, Jeff, Kristin Field, Denali Lander, Lauren Cooper, and Denise Carlson. "Locks and Dams - Lesson - Www.TeachEngineering.org." Locks and Dams - Lesson - Www.TeachEngineering.org. N.p., 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Martin, Cornel. 10 National Benefits of the U.S. Inland Waterways. 16 November 2010. 26 April 2013 <Journal of Commerce>.
River and Harbor and Flood Control Projects St. Louis Engineer District. Folder P1-10-3-28 Box 368 The Herman T. Pott National Inland Waterways Library. Waterways Journal Collection. St. Louis Mercantile Library
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division. Upper Mississippi River Locks & Dams. 2012