Latest news with #barges
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
TVA announces that Wilson Lock Interim Guard Wall will be Installed this summer
FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), has announced that the Wilson Lock Interim Guard Wall will be installed this summer. TVA, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is implementing the interim solution for the guard wall at Wilson Lock – three, interlocking ocean barges will help guide boats into the lock's main chamber. This system, which is designed to last between five to ten years, will allow normal operations to resume – supporting more than 11 million tons of goods that pass through Wilson Lock annually. On May 12, TVA began the mobilization of an interlocking system of three ocean barges and equipment to provide an interim guard wall solution to support navigation traffic at Wilson Lock. To ensure the barges were ready to be deployed immediately after the Corps finished its repairs and reopened Wilson's Lock main chamber, the ancillary systems, including lighting, handrails, and electrical components, were installed at a docking area near Pickwick Dam in June. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is closing the main lock to navigation from July 14- July 28, while TVA crews install the interim guard wall. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to operate and keep the auxiliary lock open for navigation traffic during the installation. On August 31, 2021, the Wilson Lock floating wall that guides boats into the primary lock lost buoyancy, detached, and sank to the bottom of the reservoir. This was a result of impacts from Hurricane Ida. Inspections showed there were no safety or environmental impacts to the dam. 'TVA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been collaborating on this issue since day one to ensure impacts to navigation and the industry are minimal. Up until the closure of the main lock in September 2024, TVA's Equipment Support Services Group provided boat support to commercial vessels to maintain navigation traffic. While the interim solution is in use, TVA will continue to collaborate with various partners to seek funding for a permanent floating wall that mirrors the design of the original solution and includes modernized features.' Tennessee Valley Authority Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Europe's trade artery risks running dry in warning for the world
The village of Kaub lies on Germany's Rhine river, about 40 miles west of Frankfurt. It's a sleepy little place, home to barely 800 souls. But on its riverbank sits a squat, cream-coloured tower on which billions of euros depend. This tower, known as Pegel Kaub, looks like a cross between a lighthouse and a chateau turret. On its riverside facade is a large and incongruous digital display, which provides a real-time gauge of the Rhine's constantly varying water level. For the 7,000 barges that traverse the river, carting 200m tonnes of goods and fuel a year between Germany's industrial heartlands and the North Sea – this critical number signals whether it's safe to sail with a full load. If the level falls below about 80cm, waterway traffic starts grinding to a halt. This matters. During a severe spell of low water in November 2018, German factories' output plunged 1.5pc and took a 0.4pc chunk out of German GDP, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The country is at risk of a similar crunch today. Heatwaves and low rainfall, combined with a lack of snow melt on the Swiss alpine glaciers, have pushed water levels to unusual lows for this time of year. The level at Kaub this week is just over 1m, but last week dipped as low as 96cm. There was a spell in April when it veered below the 80cm threshold. The health of the Rhine matters beyond Germany's borders. German factories account for more than a quarter of Europe's industrial output and the Rhine is its artery – a ceaseless daily pulse of everything from oil and coal to chemicals, construction materials and car parts. The river flows downstream from Switzerland through France, Germany and the Netherlands, linking the Continent's industrial hinterland with the mega ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. The freight volume is so large that it can't be readily shifted to road or rail.
