USACE dredging the Upper Mississippi River

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District’s dredge fleet was recently dredging the Mississippi River near Wabasha, Minnesota.

The fleet is based out of the district’s service base in Fountain City, Wisconsin. It is made up of three vessels to include the Dredge William L. Goetz, the Motor Vessel General Warren and the Quarters Boat Harold E. Taggatz.

This fleet is used to assist in maintaining 850 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, 335 miles of the Illinois River and other inland rivers and typically is used to dredge 1 to 2 million cubic yards of sediment out of the 9-foot navigation channel each year.

In order to maintain the 9-foot channel, maintenance dredging is performed at 10 to 15 sites in the reach of the Upper Mississippi.