Barge traffic comes to a stop for dam repairs

On Sept. 5 a crack was found in the concrete sill of the navigation lock at the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River.

The time it takes to repair the sill will have the locks closed until 10 a.m. on Sept. 30, according to the report from the Portland District office of the Army Corps of Engineers.

With the closure, barges headed downstream will get stalled behind Bonneville.

“The main issue will be for coastal exporters who had booked wheat for September arrival, ” said Dan Hart, general manager at Almota Elevator Co.

Hart said those on the coast may have some additional costs in faili...