PHOTO: Dredge Goetz at work near Brownsville, Minnesota

After spending the winter in drydock for scheduled maintenance, the Dredge Goetz has been busy this summer maintaining the 9-foot channel on the Mississippi River.

According to USACE St. Paul District, Goetz has dredged 418,710 cubic yards of material so far this summer and is working near Brownsville, Minnesota, this week.

The St. Paul District’s dredge fleet is made up of three vessels to include the Dredge William L. Goetz, the Motor Vessel General Warren and the Quarters Boat Harold E. Taggatz.

This fleet is used to assist in maintaining 850 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, 335 miles of the Illinois River and other inland rivers and typically is used to dredge 1 to 2 million cubic yards of sediment out of the 9-foot navigation channel each year.

The fleet is based out of the district’s service base in Fountain City, Wisconsin.