Coast Guard seeks Missouri River user comments on navigation

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River is conducting a Waterways Analysis Management System (WAMS) study of the Missouri River between January 8th and April 8th, 2015.

The Missouri River study includes the navigable waters from Sioux City, Iowa to St. Louis, Mo. and specifically targets the navigation channel, marking of the navigation channel, and commerce.
The study will include looking at waterborne commerce and safe commercial and recreational navigation with a focus on the existing aids to navigation in Missouri River system. The studies are conducted periodically to better understand the user's needs and facilitate safe and effective waterways.

Click here for the pdf User Survey, which must be submitted by April 10, 2015.

Any interested company or individual wishing to provide recommendations on existing or additional aids to navigation in this area, participate in a user survey, or receive further information should contact Sector Upper Mississippi River Waterways Management by April 10th, 2015. Waterways Management can be reached at SUMRWaterways@uscg.mil or by calling 319-520-8556.

Some of the aspects addressed by WAMS are:

•           Are all the aids necessary?

•           Should aids be added, changed or removed?

•           Is the right aid being used for the job?

•           Are the aids marked in a correct and visible manner?

•           Are these aids being used properly by both the Coast Guard and the waterway users?

Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River will hold a public listening session from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on FEBRUARY 25, 2015 to present, and receive feedback on the Missouri River Waterways Analysis and Management System (WAMS) study. 

The listening session will be held at the Jerry Litton Visitor Center, located at Smithville Lake, 16311 DD Hwy, Smithville, MO 64089.

Additionally, any interested company or individual wishing to submit comments on existing or additional aids to navigation in this area, participate in a user survey, or receive further information can do so via the user survey available HERE. The completed questionnaire must be submitted no later than April 10, 2015 and may be emailed to sumrwaterways@uscg.mil or faxed to 314-269-2742, ATTN: Waterways Management.

It is the intent of Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River to collect comments and materials from this listening session, along with navigation surveys, and other information to establish and preserve the reasonable needs of navigation on this river. For more information, please contact Sector Upper Mississippi River Waterways Waterways Management at SUMRWaterways@uscg.mil

Missouri River 340 cancelled - moved to Kansas River

Organizers of the Missouri River 340, the world's longest non-stop paddler race from Kansas City, KS, to St. Charles, MO, have elected to cancel the ultramarathon race for 2011 due to a high likelihood the race course will be flooding at the scheduled date.

The race had registered over 340 boats for the 2011 event, which was to be the sixth annual run of the race. Near certainty of above flood stage river levels for most of the race course caused race organizer Scott Mansker to look for a new alternative. In order to give an option for racers who have been planning for months on the original July 19-22 dates, Mansker's organization, Rivermiles, elected to move the race to an alternative location, 150 miles of the Kansas River, from Manhattan, KS, to Kansas City, KS.

Boonville Council approves Katy Bridge Ownership

Originally broadcast on KRCG Channel 13 (Columbia - www.connectmidmissouri.com) on May 17, 2011
Click here for original link
By Mark Slavit

BOONVILLE, MO. -- By a vote of 7 to 1, Boonville City Council Members approved a transfer of ownership of the historic Katy Railroad Bridge from Union Pacific to the City of Boonville.

An amendment to the ownership agreement will not allow any city tax dollars to pay for the restoration of the 79-year-old Boonville Bridge over the Missouri River.

A non-profit organization called the “Save the Katy Bridge Coalition” has been raising money to preserve the bridge and make it a part of the Katy Trail State Park.

High water creating a variety of problems

Originally published in Bismark Tribune on May 13, 2011
Click here for original link. 
by Brian Gehring and Leanne Eckroth

With the latest forecast for the Missouri River to rise another 2 feet and remain there for the summer, some are planning to do what they can to lessen the impact. Some have already felt it.

Tracy Potter, executive director of Fort Lincoln Foundation, operators of the Lewis and Clark riverboat, said the group is already down about $8,000 from lost charters even before the unofficial Memorial Day weekend opener.

Potter said the month of May is normally a busy time with school groups and other charters, but with the weather and the river conditions, most have canceled.

As for the rest of the season, "It's scary," Potter said. "As a non-profit organization, we already live on the edge of the break-even point."

The riverboat attracts about 15,000 passengers a season, Potter said.

Big Muddy/Clean Water awarded $5,000 grant

Originally published in Associated Baptist Press on May 13, 2001
Click here for original link. 
by Bob Allen.

LIBERTY, Mo. (ABP) -- Big Muddy/Clean Water, a campaign to raise money for clean water in Ethiopia connected to the Missouri River 340 race, recently received a $5,000 grant by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Missouri. The grant will be used to promote the effort as well as adding to the project’s fundraising goal of $20,000.

Josh Arnone and Jason Nazario, both from Columbia, Mo., are competing in the July 22-25 race to raise awareness of the need for sustainable and healthy water sources in Ethiopia, as well as to raise money to build water wells through Water is Life International, a 501(c)3 dedicated to providing access to clean water. More than 59 million people in that country do not have access to safe water and live on less than $2 a day.

High River Levels Not Helping Local Boating Businesses

Originally published on May 10, 2011 in the Sioux City Journal

Click here for original link. 

 

The high water level on the Missouri River is causing problems for some local businesses.

With all of this beautiful weather its finally boating season but on the contrary it's also flooding season where all the rivers in our area are above average which isn't savvy for some boating businesses.

Boating season is finally here for most of us. But for the Missouri River Boat Club the docks are still ashore and the boats are dry.

City panel considers Katy Bridge liability, agreement

 Originally published in Boonville Daily News on May 3, 2011
Click here for original link. 
by Sananda Sahoo

Boonville, MO - City Council members and a panel of legal and insurance experts discussed potential liabilities for the city if it acquired the Katy Bridge, in a work session Monday night.

Increase in barge traffic on the Missouri River since last year, and a navigable waterway meant the city needed to look closely at legal aspects of operating a park on the bridge.

The council members and the experts discussed legal, contractual and criminal liabilities, as well as ways to minimize the risks. They also deliberated on earthquake insurance and on a councilman's recommendation to have a second attorney besides city counselor Megan McGuire look into the liabilities of the bridge.

National Park Service Serves With Innovation

Originally published on April 22, 2011 in the Yankton Press-Dakotan
Click here for original link. 
by Randy Dockendorf

blogmaster's note: Often, the trashiest places along a river are at the river accesses, where there are often no trash cans for people to use. Many public land managers say that they don't have enough people resources to keep up with trash cans. Overflowing trash cans attract more trash, they say, and then the trash blows all over. Here, the National Park Service has come up with an awesome alternative. 
This article also discusses the upcoming Missouri River Watershed Festival in Yankton, followed by the Missouri River Clean-up. Awesome!

VERMILLION — Steve Mietz talked trash to his audience Thursday at the University of South Dakota.

The National Park Service (NPS) uses the “Big Belly Solar Trash Cans” at selected sites, said Mietz, the Yankton-based superintendent for the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR).

The system compacts trash in cans along the MNRR, then uses a sensor to notify NPS officials when the cans are full and ready for collection.

“It’s wicked cool,” Mietz said. “There’s a cost to get from our Yankton headquarters to the far reaches of the park to empty trash. This system saves gas, time and personnel.”

Columbia couple racing to clean Missouri rivers

 Blogmaster's note: This is a great article about a couple River Relief volunteers (Sarah is also a board member) that are using their participation in the Missouri River 340 to raise funds for Missouri River Relief and awareness of river issues. You can support their efforts by donating to Missouri River Relief through our website and checking the "Team MoDak 340 Pledge" box. Here's the donation link: http://www.riverrelief.org/donate/
Here's a link to their Team MoDak blog: http://supportthebigmuddy.weebly.com/index.html
 
Originally published in the Columbia Missourian on March 22
Click here for original link

Sarah "The Icebreaker" Pennington. Photo by Josh Pennington

by Sara Johnson

COLUMBIA — Josh and Sarah Pennington are no strangers to adventure.

After receiving their bachelor's degrees from MU, they sold their house and traveled the western United States in a minivan for six months with their two Labrador retrievers, $5000 and two simple rules: no interstates and no shopping or eating at chain restaurants or grocery stores.

"We have the same interests," Sarah Pennington said. "We're best friends. Our personalities match in a way that we want to do the same things anyway."

This summer, the Penningtons are embarking on their next journey together — participating in the sixth annual Missouri River 340, the world’s longest nonstop canoe race. They are asking people to pledge money for each mile of the race to raise money and awareness for Missouri River Relief, an organization they've been involved with for five years.

Missouri River pedestrian bridge will open April 8 in Jefferson City

Originally published on March 17, 2011 on KRCG 13
Click here for original link.
by Lucas Bond.

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- The pedestrian bridge along the Missouri River Bridge is almost done.

MoDOT said the bridge will open to the public April 8th.

The new bridge was designed to help bikers and walkers get to and from the Katy Trail without dodging traffic.

"The job is suppose to go to April 1st. The contractor is on schedule at this point,” MoDOT Charles Sullivan said. “He is going to be granted a few days here and there because the extra piling we put in the ground, and some over runs on the contract allow him a few days."

Sullivan said people have told him they don't like the old pedestrian walkway because they feel it's dangerous.

"The catch is right now it's accessible by car because there is no barrier between cars and pedestrians and bicyclists,” Sullivan said. “The new bridge is going to add a big safety feature of separating pedestrians, bicyclists, or anybody in a wheel chair away from traffic."

Sullivan said the pedestrian bridge cost a little more than the estimated cost of $6.9 million."