The Dominion Post
July 25, 2002
By Evelyn Ryan
Ole' Man Budget is continuing to irk area residents who want greater access to the Monongahela River.
A proposed 31 percent budget cut could reduce days and hours of operation for three Monongalia County-based locks and dams on the Mon next year, restricting the hours fishermen and pleasure-boaters can travel the river from Fairmont downstream to Point Marion, Pa. (Yes, the Monongahela River flows north.)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of the Monongahela River and those three locks and dams -- Morgantown, Hildebrand and Opekiska.
"We have said for years that there may be tough choices coming," Corps Public Information Officer Richard Dowling said Wednesday.
"We've made no secret of the fact that budgets are getting tighter and tighter, and we foresee tough choices that will have to be made as to what levels of service we can continue to provide over the long term."
The newly-incorporated Upper Monongahela River Association, formed to promote boating and other water recreation as an economic development issue, would like to see extended hours for the locks and dams, especially during prime boating seasons.
Dowling stressed that the Corps of Engineers, like any federal agency, is funded on a year-to-year basis.
"Our funding for the current year ensures that we can keep the upper Monongahela locks open on the same schedule as in the past through the end of this fiscal year (Sept. 30)," he said.
This year, the Corps has $13.2 million to pay operating and maintenance costs for the locks and dams from Fairmont down to Pittsburgh, he said.
This February, President Bush requested $14.4 million to do the same job. Should they get more than the current $13.2 million, the additional is not "found money," Dowling emphasized.
"Even if we get slightly more money, we still have increased costs and upkeep," and there's always inflation, he noted. "This brings us back full circuit to the tough choices the Corps may be facing in the future."
The Corps will continue to work with industry users, boaters and officials "at every level," he said.
"I cant make any promises for next summer," he said, "nor can I make any long-term promises other than we will continue to make the best use of whatever funding is made available."
Dowling said nothing has changed in the last 15-20 years on the Monongahela River, but he can't guarantee continued service at the present level.