March 26, 2014
Colonel Bernard R. Lindstrom
US Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District
2200 William S. Moorhead Federal Building
1000 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-4186
RE: Recreational Lockages on Upper Monongahela River
Dear Colonel Lindstrom:
The Monongalia County Commission hereby offers to contribute funds
toward the part-time operation of the Upper Monongahela River
Locks for recreational lock service. Currently the level of
service (LOS) for the Opekiska & Hildebrand locks is level 6.
They are open for commercial navigation by appointment only and
are not providing recreational service. The Morgantown lock is
currently operating at a LOS of level 3 that is one shift a day, 5
days a week. It also is not providing recreational service over
the weekends.
The Commission will contribute funds in the amount of
approximately $40,000.00 annually for recreational lock services
for a general yearly April through October schedule for the
foreseeable future. This will include select weekends, holiday
weekends, several three day weekends (Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday) in support of fishing tournaments, and occasionally full
weekly operations in support of regional fishing tournaments. We
have strong local partners in our region who fully support this
request and offer, foremost the Marion County Commissioners, the
Upper Monongahela River Association (UMRA) and its partners
including the B.A.S.S. Nation of WV and the WV Bass Federation. As
stated in our previous letter UMRA will work with you on
developing the Memorandum of Understanding and will work with us
so that it is in the best interests of the County and can pass our
review and be voted in the affirmative. UMRA has worked with you
for more than 12 years so we expect this will be a productive
partnership.
The Monongalia County Commission understands that no repayment or
credit for contributed funds is authorized by the Corps of
Engineers, and the negotiated memorandum of agreement will provide
that acceptance of such funds will not constitute or imply any
commitment to budget or appropriate funds for the requested
services in the future.
Commercial barge traffic on the Upper Monongahela River has
declined significantly; however, it is anticipated that
recreational boating from fishing tournaments, from other pleasure
uses and special events will take their place over time. (We also
anticipate future new commercial traffic will develop as new
industry develops or traditional industries resume.) The pools
created by dams on the upper Monongahela River are great places
for recreational boating, skiing, swimming, and tubing. Moreover,
the Monongahela River is home to nearly every species of fish
found in Wet Virginia and the river is considered to be one of the
premier fishing locations in the state. The inability of
recreational users to navigate the Monongahela River upper reaches
has economically harmed the county and our communities. The
inability to traverse the locks has severely hampered scheduling
local, state, regional and national fishing tournaments.
Thank you for your consideration of our proposal.
The Monongalia County Commission,
L. W. Bartolo
Eldon A. Callen
Tom Bloom