First tow opens river shipping season
The Motor Vessel (M/V) Ronald E. Wagonblast locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., Sunday, March 13, around 7:30 a.m. She was pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul.
The Corps considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., as the unofficial start of the navigation season, because it means all of its locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels. The earliest date for an up-bound tow to reach Lock and Dam 2 was March 4, in 1983, 1984 and 2000. The average start date of the navigation season is March 22.