16 Mar 2023

Soo Locks to open March 25 for 2023 shipping season

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, Soo Project Office will open the Poe Lock, 12:01 a.m., March 25, marking the 2023 Great Lakes shipping season start. The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and driven in part by the feasibility of vessels operating in typical Great Lakes ice conditions. The Poe Lock closed January 16 to undergo critical repairs and maintenance during the 10 week-long winter shutdown. Maintenance crews performed a variety of critical tasks on the Poe Lock, including Gate 1 anchorage component repairs such as replacing concrete, Gate 1 lifting lugs and turning feet, underfloor drain system inspection, Gate 1 structural inspection for future replacement, Gate 3 inspection for structural repairs, gate jacking pedestal inspections, valve repairs, Gate 3 seal repairs and culvert intake grate repairs. The (miter) gates are the large gates at each end of the lock chamber. The gates open and close allowing ships to enter and leave the lock and prevent water from entering or exiting the lock while boats are lifted or lowered.

13 Mar 2023

President’s Budget supplies $159 million for Corps of Engineers Detroit District

DETROIT — The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) includes more than $7.4 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program, with just over $159 million set aside for Detroit District projects. Of great regional significance is $3 million for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, a project that includes the three Great Lakes Corps of Engineers Districts: Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago. The study will identify vulnerable coastal areas and recommend actions to bolster the coastal resources’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to future hydrologic uncertainty with respect to man-made and natural coastal environments. Recent high-water events across the Great Lakes brought about the study’s need. The Budget requests funding for investigations to provide local communities, including disadvantaged communities, with technical and planning assistance to enable them to reduce their flood risk, with emphasis on non-structural approaches. Investigation funding for the Detroit District includes a navigation study, Menominee River Deepening; an aquatic ecosystem restoration study, Rodgers Lake Habitat Pokagon Band; and three flood risk management studies, Peavine Creek Stabilization, Pokagon Band - Potawatami Tribe; South East Michigan; and Tittabawassee River Chippewa River, Pine River and Tobacco River.

3 Mar 2023

New Lock at the Soo to host follow-up public meeting for Hydro Plant tail race closing

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will host an in-person public meeting 6 p.m., March 15, 2023, to follow-up on the closure of the Soo Locks Hydro Plant tail race during New Lock at the Soo construction. The Corps of Engineers has a preliminary closure plan for the upcoming season and would like to present the strategy for the 2023 construction season to ensure effective communication of closures with anglers and interested parties. The Corps of Engineers previously hosted a public meeting to discuss the Hydro Plant tail race closures April 20, 2022.

1 Mar 2023

Detroit District infrastructure grows $104 million stronger from FY23 Work Plan

DETROIT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, is receiving $37 million in the Fiscal Year 2023 Work Plan for operations and maintenance (O&M) of Detroit District river and harbor projects, $67 million for construction projects and $370 thousand to conduct investigations. The FY23 Work Plan funding is in addition to the $127 million in the FY23 Appropriation Bill and $254 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding allocated in FY23. “This is an exciting opportunity for the Detroit District team to provide solutions to our regional infrastructure,” said Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Brett Boyle. “Repairing, maintaining and improving our federal harbors and infrastructure is essential to bring resiliency to our communities, our economy and the environment. I know the Detroit District team and our partners are ready to deliver these historic investments!"

24 Feb 2023

Soo Locks Engineers Day 2023, a multi-event occasion

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau, the United States Coast Guard, the Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education and the Craft Show are planning the 2023 Soo Locks Engineers Day for June 30. Visitors are welcome into the Soo Locks facility and across the MacArthur Lock 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, June 30. “Visitors will not be able to cross the Poe Lock this year due to ongoing New Lock at the Soo construction,” Operations Manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem said. “Visitors will be able to tour the first floor of the Administration Building and gates at the east and west ends of the MacArthur lock will be open for access.” The MacArthur Lock gate at the east end (downstream) of the facility will be available for visitors to enter, the MacArthur Lock gate at the west end (upstream) of the facility will be available for visitors exiting. Exceptions will be made for those with difficulty walking the distance of the lock.

13 Feb 2023

Lake Huron fishery further protected from invasive sea lampreys thanks to new trap on the East Branch Au Gres River in Michigan

DETROIT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Detroit District and Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) are pleased to announce the completion of a $1.67 million permanent sea lamprey trap on the East Branch Au Gres River in Iosco County, Michigan. The completion of the project represents a long-standing partnership between USACE and GLFC to control invasive sea lampreys and protect the $7 billion Great Lakes fishery. Sea lampreys, parasitic fish that suck blood from other fish (e.g., lake trout and Pacific salmon), invaded the Great Lakes through shipping canals and devastated Great Lakes fisheries in the mid-1900s. Each sea lamprey can kill up to 40 pounds of fish per year. An estimated 4,500 sea lampreys enter Lake Huron from the East Branch Au Gres River each year. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission coordinates the sea lamprey control program that has reduced populations in the Great Lakes by about 90% since they first invaded, saving nearly 100 million pounds of fish each year. Since sea lampreys are most vulnerable to capture as they move from lakes into tributaries to spawn, the control program relies on physical barriers to block their upstream migration during the spring, thereby reducing the population. Specially designed traps are built into or placed immediately downstream of sea lamprey barriers to remove the spawning sea lampreys from the system and support assessment efforts of the control program.

10 Jan 2023

Soo Locks closing for seasonal repair, maintenance

The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will close to marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. January 15, or until commercial traffic ceases, through 12:01 a.m. March 25 to perform critical maintenance. Federal regulation establishes the operating season based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice conditions. Every year, the Corps of Engineers uses the winter period to perform maintenance to keep the Soo Locks operating. The Detroit District team works long hours in extreme conditions to complete a significant amount of maintenance during this annual closure period. The work they perform is unique, especially given the harsh northern Michigan conditions they work in.