W. Rock Island, Il. The Corps of Engineers is studying whether to reconstruct the lock system of that long tows can move through without being separated. John Gardner, retiring president with the Quad City Development Group, said traffic will continue to increase in the new century. Ron Fournier, chief public affairs officer, with the Corps of Engineers, said preliminary recommendations from their study will come out next month. Financial survival for farmers and other industries will be directly connected to the river's navigation system, Mr. Fournier said.
Petroleum comes in, goes out.
A lot of other commodities that people don't realize are transported via the river, such as mulch for people's yard. If there weres no barge traffic, farmers would find it impossible to ship their products and make a profit. Environmentalists concerns for the river are being taken seriously throughout the study process, according to Mr. Fournier. The feeling that increased traffic would be detrimental to the environment is sometimes overstated. Their concerns consist of having much more traffic on the river.