MaryBeth Matzek: Reopened Fox Locks good for local economy

This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion

For the first time in 30 years, water flowed this week through the city of Kaukauna’s five locks along the Fox River. The opening of the locks marks the completion of the $14.5 million Fox River Navigational System Authority’s (FRNSA) lock restoration project, which took 10 years and involved restoring and repairing 16 locks on 39 miles of the Fox River, which flows from Lake Winnebago to the Bay of Green Bay.

The restoration of 16 of the 17 locks along the river started in 2005 and construction was completed at sites in De Pere, Appleton, Menasha, Little Chute, Combined Locks and Kaukauna. One of the locks – located at Raptide Croche – remains closed to prevent aquatic invasive species moving from the Great Lakes to Lake Winnebago.

The FRNSA is proposing to build a boat lift/transfer and cleaning station at Raptide Croche, which would allow boats to travel the entire river after being cleaned and inspected. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reviewing the proposal, which would use a hot water cleaning process to flush each boat’s propulsion systems, intakes and exhaust ports to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

“Before there were roads, the river was the cultural and economic corridor of Northeast Wisconsin,” says FRNSA CEO Bob Stark. “This project has state and national historic significance and we have provided for the sustainable operation of the locks system.”

The Fox River lock system is the nation’s only fully restored hand-operated lock system. Lock tenders staff the gates from May through October, opening them for both recreational and commercial vessels. Daily permits and seasonal passes are available. Those fees help fund the FRNSA.

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