MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) – A boating connection between Lake Winnebago and Little Lake Butte des Morts could be set to re-open
An electronic barrier would be installed at the Menasha lock in order to allow the boating connection to re-open, according to a plan by the Fox River Navigational System Authority.
After a round goby was discovered in September of 2015, the Menasha lock was closed to prevent the spread of the invasive species into Lake Winnebago.
Those involved in planning want to get started as soon as possible.
“If we get all the green light we can do this by 2020 and open Spring of 2021, if not, sooner,” says Jeremy Cords, the Chief Executive Officer of the Fox River Navigational System Authority.
He says building the one-hundred-foot electric barrier just south of the Menasha Lock would prevent round gobies from entering the Lake Winnebago watershed.
“It’s safe for boaters, the electrical field will be zero or very low at the surface of the water,” explains Jason Kent, a structural engineer for Smith-Root.
The electrical voltage will only pulse near the bottom of the concrete, which is where round goby like to stay.
“They’re not able to move their muscles to swim further up into the barrier and they will become immobilized and rest at the bottom of the barrier,” says Kent.
The system would also clear out any invasive species that may be present in the channel by using changes in water velocity when the locks are opened to flush the lock channel.
Funds will come from donations received over the past few years and authority board members say the project cost is estimated between $2.5 and $3 million.
Officials say that if all seventeen locks on the Fox River were to be fully functioning, it could generate as much as 290 million dollars over a ten year period.
Boaters can navigate about twenty-five miles this summer, since there are currently nine locks open in the Fox River.
Board members say the locks are a significant historical artifact and shouldn’t simply be viewed in recreational purposes.
According to the lock authority:
“The proposal calls for building a 100-foot long concrete channel, 36 feet wide with vertical walls approximately 13 feet high (2’ will be visible above the waterline). Electrodes will be recessed in the concrete to create a pulsed DC electrical field. The plan calls for installing a generator to use as a back up for the system. The system also uses changes in water velocity when the locks are opened to flush the lock channel thus clearing out any invasive species that may be present in the channel. A portion of the riverbank on each side of the channel will be filled in to support the concrete channel. This type of barrier is not dangerous to humans and will allow boat traffic to safely proceed through the channel while preventing the migration of fish.”
The closure of the lock has been an issue for boaters and businesses along the waterway.
The plan will be submitted to the DNR for review.
