Bill Vanevenhoven tends Kaukauna Lock 1 on the Fox River, May 8, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Boaters are getting ready to take to parts of the Fox River, and the lock system that connects most of the water route from Menasha to Green Bay.
There are some obstacles, like the Menasha Lock, which remains closed to keep an invasive species out of Lake Winnebago.
It bills itself at the only fully-restored manually-operated lock system in the country.
“There’s no pumps, no motors. It’s all manpower and hydraulics that run the lock system,” said Bill Vanevenhoven, Fox Locks Locktender Coordinator.
Bill Vanevenhoven put Kaukauna Lock Number One to the test Monday morning.
“We got about 5,000 boaters a year. 20,000 passengers a year. So it’s been fairly steady over the last several years,” he said.
The Fox River Navigational System Authority operates 17 locks on the waterway. Boaters won’t be able to get through the Menasha Lock. FRNSA closed it in 2015 after fishermen caught invasive round gobies below the Neenah Dam. With the goal of keeping the gobies out of Lake Winnebago, a FRNSA study is in its final stages to build an electrified barrier at the site, and re-open the Menasha Lock.
“They’re updating conceptual plans, the cost estimate, and the operations and maintenance manual,” said Phil Ramlet, Fox Locks Executive Director.
Phil Ramlet says it could cost up to $8 million to build.
“The Fox River is a federal waterway, and I think we’d have to take a look at significant participation from the federal government, and the state government, in order to get the project done,” he said.
Ramlet says the Department of Natural Resources and the Fox Locks Authority would need to approve the plan.
“If everything fell into place, and if somebody can come up with $8 million, potentially, for the navigation season 2025, that a possibility. Probably more like 2026,” he said.
Meanwhile preparations continue. Bill Vanevenhoven says Kaukauna’s locks will be tested, and filled in the coming days.
“It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon. Boating is great. So they’re having a good time,” he said.
The season is scheduled to open on Saturday, May 20 and runs through Labor Day.
If you want to go, a daily recreational pass will cost you $10.
A seasonal pass, is $100.
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