Posted on November 12, 2021
NEAR WINONA, Minn. (KTTC) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the Mississippi River for the last few months and this week they’ve started to move thousands of cubic yards of sand near Winona.
The corps dredges the river every year from April-November. Removing sand and increasing the river’s depth so barges carrying thousands of pounds of goods can get to consumers. One barge can transport the equivalent of one thousand semi trucks.
The sand they take out of the river is sitting on a site near Winona, in Homer. Machines started moving the pile this week to a quarry. The sand can also be used for construction projects, can be put on icy roads, and can be used for livestock beds.
Six trucks have been transporting the sand, carrying about 25 loads per truck each day to the Yeadke Quarry, located approximately five miles away along County Hwy 15. There is approximately 70,000 cubic yards that need to be moved by Christmas.
“The core of engineers dredge the river in order to maintain navigation,” Dredged Material Manager Paul Machajewski said. “In simple terms, we need to remove sand from the river in order to keep the barges moving for traffic so farmers can move the corn and grain out of this area to reach regional, national, international markets. so we’re kind of exchanging goods on the commercial navigation highway if you will, the river.”
The corps said they have made working with the community a priority while the project is underway, as they understand having trucks constantly move sand can be intrusive.
“The trucking operations, while not ideal, provides the necessary time for us to work with city and county leaders on the long-term plan,” St. Paul District project manager Bob Estrom said in a news release. “We are trying to be a good neighbor, but our options are extremely limited at this point and our congressional mandate to maintain the channel requires us to ensure we have storage capacity for the next time we dredge near the city.”
According to the corps, producers save about $1 per bushel when shipping corn and soybeans on barges instead of other modes like truck or trains.
