blogmaster's note: First barge transit of the season! The Mary Lynn hits the river today for a fertilizer haul to Brunswick Terminal. The Mary Lynn is a really cool, sleek towboat designed with a shallow draft for the Missouri River.
Originally Published in St. Louis Business Journal on March 22, 2011
Click here for original link.
AGRIServices is starting its shipping season early, with eight barges of fertilizer set to leave St. Louis on Wednesday and arrive Sunday in Brunswick, in Chariton County in north-central Missouri.
The shipping season officially begins April 1, when the U.S. Coast Guard places navigational buoys on the river.
But “the water levels are good enough to get our shipping season started early, and we expect to be busy through mid-December,” said Kevin Holcer of Brunswick-based AGRIServices, in a statement. “We expect to increase our shipping efforts by up to 15 percent.”
AGRIServices will start pushing more than 9,000 tons of fertilizer up the Missouri River on Wednesday via the M/V Mary Lynn, a 3800-horsepower shallow draft boat.
The Missouri Department of Transportation, which supports waterways shipping on the Missouri River, said Jefferson City’s River Terminal expects to receive 6,000 tons of cement Tuesday, and that Hermann Sand and Gravel plans to start moving freight later this week.
"Our goal is to increase the freight moved on the Missouri River, increase connections to other transportation modes, and provide economic development opportunities along the river corridor,” Ernie Perry, freight development administrator for MoDOT, said in a statement.
MoDOT said expectations are for the biggest shipping season on the Missouri River in a decade. In 2010, about 334,000 tons of goods, or the equivalent of 13,000 tractor-truck loads, was shipped on the Missouri River, a 24 percent increase compared with 2009, according to MoDOT.
Perry said one barge carries the same amount of cargo as 70 semi-trucks or 16 rail cars.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Cleanup group goes to the air to map Missouri River trash
blogmaster's note: For more info on this effort, click here: http://www.riverrelief.org/updates/entry/river-relief-conducts-aerial-trash-scout/. As we post photos and maps from the scout, you'll be able to access from that page.
Originally published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 23, 2011
Click here for original post
by Mark Schlinkmann
To prepare for its 10th annual Missouri River cleanup later this year, an environmental group recently launched its first aerial mapping survey of most of the 380 miles of the river from Kansas City to St. Louis.
"We saw a lot of trash accumulation we were not able to see" in past surveys by boat, said Jeff Barrow, director of Columbia, Mo.-based Missouri River Relief. "The photos will give us a plan on how to approach it."
There weren't many surprises in the St. Louis area, he said. One exception was a heap of junk near Howell Island west of the Daniel Boone Bridge that carries Highway 40 between St. Louis and St. Charles counties. That area will be targeted during the cleanup.
The overhead views are of particular help in finding large accumulations of debris that wash into nearby woodlands during flooding and stay when the water recedes, he said. Much of that was found in low-population areas in western Missouri, such as near the mouth of the Grand River near Brunswick.
"There must have been 10 acres of driftwood and trash, including refrigerators and 55-gallon drums," said Barrow, who took part in the survey.
He said various riverside dump sites obscured by vegetation also were pinpointed, including one near New Haven in Franklin County.
The survey was conducted March 11-12 with GPS-synchronized cameras in a six-seat Cessna run by Colorado-based EcoFlight, which does aerial scouting for various environmental causes.
This year's cleanup campaign, called the Big Muddy Clean Sweep, has another twist.
For the first time, the organization has chartered a barge to cruise the length of the river and serve as the common receptacle for trash picked up in various drives along the way.
The trash will then be taken to a terminal for transfer to landfills or recycled. In the past, trash from each local drive was disposed of separately.
"This will be a lot more efficient," Barrow said.
He added that "it makes a powerful visual statement when people see that barge with a mountain of trash."
This year's effort begins Sept. 10 in Kansas City. Three of the stops and local cleanups will be in the St. Louis area — at Washington, Mo., Oct. 15, St. Charles on Oct. 22 and around the confluence with the Mississippi River on Oct. 29.
The confluence area also will be the subject of a trash collection campaign this Saturday overseen by another group, the Confluence Partnership, and involving Missouri River Relief and other organizations. That event is called the Confluence Trash Bash. For more information, go to confluencegreenway.org.
Originally published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 23, 2011
Click here for original post
by Mark Schlinkmann
To prepare for its 10th annual Missouri River cleanup later this year, an environmental group recently launched its first aerial mapping survey of most of the 380 miles of the river from Kansas City to St. Louis.
"We saw a lot of trash accumulation we were not able to see" in past surveys by boat, said Jeff Barrow, director of Columbia, Mo.-based Missouri River Relief. "The photos will give us a plan on how to approach it."
The overhead views are of particular help in finding large accumulations of debris that wash into nearby woodlands during flooding and stay when the water recedes, he said. Much of that was found in low-population areas in western Missouri, such as near the mouth of the Grand River near Brunswick.
"There must have been 10 acres of driftwood and trash, including refrigerators and 55-gallon drums," said Barrow, who took part in the survey.
He said various riverside dump sites obscured by vegetation also were pinpointed, including one near New Haven in Franklin County.
The survey was conducted March 11-12 with GPS-synchronized cameras in a six-seat Cessna run by Colorado-based EcoFlight, which does aerial scouting for various environmental causes.
This year's cleanup campaign, called the Big Muddy Clean Sweep, has another twist.
For the first time, the organization has chartered a barge to cruise the length of the river and serve as the common receptacle for trash picked up in various drives along the way.
The trash will then be taken to a terminal for transfer to landfills or recycled. In the past, trash from each local drive was disposed of separately.
"This will be a lot more efficient," Barrow said.
He added that "it makes a powerful visual statement when people see that barge with a mountain of trash."
This year's effort begins Sept. 10 in Kansas City. Three of the stops and local cleanups will be in the St. Louis area — at Washington, Mo., Oct. 15, St. Charles on Oct. 22 and around the confluence with the Mississippi River on Oct. 29.
The confluence area also will be the subject of a trash collection campaign this Saturday overseen by another group, the Confluence Partnership, and involving Missouri River Relief and other organizations. That event is called the Confluence Trash Bash. For more information, go to confluencegreenway.org.
North Dakota: Legislature Urges Army Corps of Engineers to Give the State Back Water Control
Originally published in PlainsDaily.com on March 22, 2011
Click here for original link
By Kate Bommarito
The Senate passed HCR 3019 today, a resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) “to immediately cease wrongful denial of access and wrongful requirement of payment for the natural flows of the Missouri River,” and demands that the COE “forgo any attempt to charge water users in North Dakota a fee to use water from Lake Sakakawea or Lake Oahe.”
Both the Governor and the Attorney General had testified at the resolution’s committee hearing. At the House hearing, Dalrymple called the US Army Corps of Engineers’ new policies both “unjustifiable” and “utterly inappropriate for the state of North Dakota.”
The Corps has had a long and contentious history when it comes to their management of the Missouri River water. Most recently, the COE has been attempting to charge North Dakota water “storage fees,” for water held in Lake Sakakwea and Lake Oahe.
State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem stated “It is not just nor I think legal to demand that we get permission to use water that naturally flows through our state, and it borders on insult to demand that we pay for it,” when he addressed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
At the same time the Senate was voting on HCR 3019, the House was voting on a related resolution, SCR 4002, urging Congress “to provide a legal process to return to the state of North Dakota land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers which is not necessary for authorized purposes.”
SCR 4002 specifies that the COE “has acquired certain lands around the Missouri River water system, including Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea,” and demands that the land be returned, giving the state of North Dakota full control over the land, including access to the river’s water.
The Corps’ plan to charge the state for its water has been met with public outcry in the state and has far reaching implications, especially considering the current water pipeline projects and the oil industry’s increased need for access to water.
Both resolutions passed their respective chambers unanimously
Click here for original link
By Kate Bommarito
The Senate passed HCR 3019 today, a resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) “to immediately cease wrongful denial of access and wrongful requirement of payment for the natural flows of the Missouri River,” and demands that the COE “forgo any attempt to charge water users in North Dakota a fee to use water from Lake Sakakawea or Lake Oahe.”
Both the Governor and the Attorney General had testified at the resolution’s committee hearing. At the House hearing, Dalrymple called the US Army Corps of Engineers’ new policies both “unjustifiable” and “utterly inappropriate for the state of North Dakota.”
The Corps has had a long and contentious history when it comes to their management of the Missouri River water. Most recently, the COE has been attempting to charge North Dakota water “storage fees,” for water held in Lake Sakakwea and Lake Oahe.
State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem stated “It is not just nor I think legal to demand that we get permission to use water that naturally flows through our state, and it borders on insult to demand that we pay for it,” when he addressed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
At the same time the Senate was voting on HCR 3019, the House was voting on a related resolution, SCR 4002, urging Congress “to provide a legal process to return to the state of North Dakota land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers which is not necessary for authorized purposes.”
SCR 4002 specifies that the COE “has acquired certain lands around the Missouri River water system, including Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea,” and demands that the land be returned, giving the state of North Dakota full control over the land, including access to the river’s water.
The Corps’ plan to charge the state for its water has been met with public outcry in the state and has far reaching implications, especially considering the current water pipeline projects and the oil industry’s increased need for access to water.
Both resolutions passed their respective chambers unanimously
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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
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.
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 |
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.
Monday, March 21, 2011
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."
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."
Stemming the Overflow
"Recent equipment failure puts spotlight on St. Joseph’s problematic sewers"
Originally published on March 19, 2011 in the St. Joseph News-Press
by Clinton Thomas
Click here for original link
Most people prefer not to think about the labyrinth of sewer lines running beneath their home.
When those lines bring a nine-figure bill to the doorstep of customers, the system become too big to ignore.
St. Joseph voters will decide April 5 on a bond issue that could reduce projected costs over the next 20 years. Though sewer customers will pay for the bonds, all St. Joseph voters can weigh in on the issue because residents with septic systems within the city limits are allowed convert to the sewer system if they wish — and if they can afford it.
A recent pump station breakdown drew public attention to the system when it caused more than a million gallons of partially treated wastewater to flow into the Missouri River. Though the equipment failure was rare, sewage flowing untreated into the river is anything but. Just look at the numbers. In 2010, St. Joseph’s combined sewer overflow system carried untreated sewage mixed with stormwater into the Missouri River on 198 separate days. The 2009 tally was 117 days, with 160 in 2008 and 73 in 2007.
Originally published on March 19, 2011 in the St. Joseph News-Press
by Clinton Thomas
Click here for original link
Most people prefer not to think about the labyrinth of sewer lines running beneath their home.
When those lines bring a nine-figure bill to the doorstep of customers, the system become too big to ignore.
St. Joseph voters will decide April 5 on a bond issue that could reduce projected costs over the next 20 years. Though sewer customers will pay for the bonds, all St. Joseph voters can weigh in on the issue because residents with septic systems within the city limits are allowed convert to the sewer system if they wish — and if they can afford it.
A recent pump station breakdown drew public attention to the system when it caused more than a million gallons of partially treated wastewater to flow into the Missouri River. Though the equipment failure was rare, sewage flowing untreated into the river is anything but. Just look at the numbers. In 2010, St. Joseph’s combined sewer overflow system carried untreated sewage mixed with stormwater into the Missouri River on 198 separate days. The 2009 tally was 117 days, with 160 in 2008 and 73 in 2007.
Friday, March 18, 2011
EPA adds Black Eagle refinery site to Superfund list site
Originally published on March 8, 2011, in the Great Falls Tribune
Click here for original link.
by Karl Puckett
The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday put the former copper smelter and refinery property in Black Eagle on the federal Superfund list, citing the threat of remaining pollution to public health and the environment.
The 427-acre site contains heavy metals contamination from historic smelting and refining activities, according to the EPA. Operations began in 1893 and ceased in 1980.
Residential soils in Black Eagle and the Missouri River also will be investigated for potential cleanup, the EPA announced.
Click here for original link.
by Karl Puckett
The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday put the former copper smelter and refinery property in Black Eagle on the federal Superfund list, citing the threat of remaining pollution to public health and the environment.
The 427-acre site contains heavy metals contamination from historic smelting and refining activities, according to the EPA. Operations began in 1893 and ceased in 1980.
Residential soils in Black Eagle and the Missouri River also will be investigated for potential cleanup, the EPA announced.
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