WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WRN) — A sign of spring on the Upper Mississippi River. Al VanGuilder with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers says there are already some areas of open water at Lake Pepin along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
“On the upper end of the lake, there’s still some pretty decent ice.” said VanGuilder. “But as far as the towing industry goes, the ice is thin enough for them to think about making a run up to St. Paul and busting the ice through the lake.”
VanGuilder says a pair of towboats will make the trip from Dubuque to St. Paul on Saturday, signaling the unofficial start of spring on the river.
The first barge usually arrives in St. Paul around the third week in March.
