Mississippi River Towboat
LAKE CITY, Minn. – The U-S Army Corps of Engineers will begin its annual ice measurements on Lake Pepin next week.
The lake is the largest on the Mississippi River and on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Hydrographic survey chief Al VanGuilder says what they find will signal when shipping might begin on the Upper Mississippi River this spring. He says the towing industry has used the first two of the season to break through the ice and they want to do that with the least amount of ice possible.
And that the tows want around 12 to 14 inches and that’s typically the ice thickness in the middle of March time frame.
Crews will measure the ice weekly as conditions can change rapidly this time of year.
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