L&D: (Satellite)
I was surprised that the river level fluctuated so much because there is a dam that is not too far downstream.
But then I saw this photo of two barges stuck on the dam and realized it is a fixed weir dam. Since the dam doesn't have any gates, it can't control the level of its pool.
Four Loudoun Lock posted three images with the comment: "Miter gates are supported in part by a concrete miter sill at the bottom of each set of gates as can be seen here in this post. A recent miter sill failure occurred last week & subsequent repair efforts are currently underway on the upstream miter sill at Demopolis Lock (Black Warrior - Tombigbee Waterway). The lower miter gates were open, but were successfully mitered back in the closed position bringing the lock chamber water elevation back to upper pool elevation so emergency closure equipment could be installed further upstream to begin repairs. This is a first hand example of our aging infrastructure around the country that has long since exceeded its original intended life cycle. Nashville District"
Jim Colby posted two photos with the comment: "Temple Huckabee headed downstream at Fosters Ferry bridge about 8:30 this morning. Mile 321."
AGR = Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway
C Hanchey caught the bridge during a more normal river level.
Demopolis, AL, is the town where the Black Warrior River joins the Tombigbee River.
I included the shoreline on the left to emphasize that the river was running high when this photo was taken in Apr 2018.
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| Street View |
C Hanchey caught the bridge during a more normal river level.
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| C Hanchey, Apr 2011 via Bridge Hunger |
I was surprised that the river level fluctuated so much because there is a dam that is not too far downstream.
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| Satellite |
But then I saw this photo of two barges stuck on the dam and realized it is a fixed weir dam. Since the dam doesn't have any gates, it can't control the level of its pool.
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| DemopolisTimes |
Four Loudoun Lock posted three images with the comment: "Miter gates are supported in part by a concrete miter sill at the bottom of each set of gates as can be seen here in this post. A recent miter sill failure occurred last week & subsequent repair efforts are currently underway on the upstream miter sill at Demopolis Lock (Black Warrior - Tombigbee Waterway). The lower miter gates were open, but were successfully mitered back in the closed position bringing the lock chamber water elevation back to upper pool elevation so emergency closure equipment could be installed further upstream to begin repairs. This is a first hand example of our aging infrastructure around the country that has long since exceeded its original intended life cycle. Nashville District"
Ron Bishop shared
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The reason for documenting yet another lift bridge is to capture information about 8-barge tows. I've never seen one before. I've seen several names for these tows, but they all of the letter "H" in the name.
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| Rob McCarter posted Parker heading north through Demopolis for more coal. I believe the Gilbert Taylor. [A comment observed that it is northbound because you can see the green US-43 bridge in the background.] Jim Colby shared |
Jim Colby posted two photos with the comment: "Temple Huckabee headed downstream at Fosters Ferry bridge about 8:30 this morning. Mile 321."
Jim Colby shared with the comment: "Black Warrior River in Fosters, Al"
Redd KM Sucranjou: An “H” formation shortens the tow as a whole and protects the stern of the boat in rivers where tight turns exist.
If the boat is pushing at the rear of the tow, not only is the entire unit longer, but a tight turn could do serious damage to the vessel’s stern if it slides into rocks that are under water... and that’s where a lot of important stuff is attached, like the blades that make it go. Lol
Author
Here's a great set of photos of one of Parker' boats negotiating one of the tightest bends on our river, just below Birmingport, AL.
Author
Its requires special skills to pilot a towboat on our Tombigbee and Black warrior rivers. The crew stayed on the boat and the engines never quit. She picked up her barges and kept on going! https://youtu.be/YZXSa26uqzk [It is a good thing they kept all of the hatches and doors closed!]
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| Billy J Smith commented on Jim's share |
Temple Huckabee
This 133 foot by 34.7 foot twin screw towboat was purchased by Parker Towing Company, Inc. in June, 2010 and re-named in honor of Captain Temple Huckabee, a long time Parker Towing Company, Inc. employee and senior captain.
Built in 1972 by Greenville Shipbuilding Corporation, Greenville, MS., it is powered by two 16 cylinder General Motors E.M.D. model 645 diesel engines, delivering 3,800 horsepower through 3 to 1 WESTERN reduction gears.
Originally named the NITA VICKERS while owned by Vickers Towing Company, Greenville, Mississippi it was sold in 1974 to Ashland, Inc. (Now Marathon Petroleum Company) Ashland, KY. and renamed TRI-STATE.
It is presently in service on the Warrior-Tombigbee, Tenn-Tom, Tennessee, Ohio, Upper and Lower Mississippi, Intracoastal East Waterways and Mobile Bay.
Stewart Gwin posted four photos with the comment: "Demopolis Lock and Dam on Monday, Feb. 5 [2024]."
Kenny Overstreet: What contractor is doing the work?
Jim Colby: Kenny, no contracts yet. Bids for repairs are currently being accepted. They will be reviewed and then selected. All the boats in the photo are Corps of Engineers Fleet vessels.
Pickwick Lock shared
Pickwick Lock: Jeff Flop Meek The failure was the miter sill concrete under the upper river wall gate leaf. They are having issues with high water right now, but it is slowly receding down to normal.
[I wondered why they had stop logs setting on barges but hadn't used them yet. They are working in a slack pool so I wonder why they need a lower river level.]
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| Roger Strickland commented on Stewart's post January 17th. Bottom of the north west lock gate blew out a few days before this pic. |
I'm confused by the Feb 5 date on Stewart's post because this USACE update shows the stoplogs were added Jan 20, 2024. The sill blew out on Jan 16, 2024.
When the sill blew out, the lower miter gates were open. Evidently the flow was too intense to use just the lock machinery to close the gates because they had to use three towboats, each with a barge, to help close the gates.
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| USACE_update, p3 [I got this update link from a comment on Stewart's post. It looks like newer updates should become available with the red "NEW" link on USACE_notices.] |
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| safe_image for Mobile District teams work to repair Demopolis Lock "The Marine Vessel Lawson drives up the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers toward the Demopolis Lock, Demopolis, Alabama, Feb. 3, 2024. The Lawson and M/V Tenn-Tom were bringing floating barges and cranes to assist in repairing the Demopolis Lock, which was severely damaged on Jan. 16 and has been inoperable ever since. (U.S. Army photo by Chuck Walker)" "The vessels included the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Project Office’s Marine Vessel Lawson, with its crane barge, the Choctawhatchee; M/V Tenn-Tom, with its new Liebherr crane; and M/V General Irwin, with a Manitowoc crane." |
Steward Gwin posted four photos with the comment: "Demopolis Lock and Dam on Monday, Feb. 5."
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John Wathen posted six photos with the comment: "I went for a ride and wound up at Demopolis lock and dam. It was almost too windy to get the drone up, but I managed for a little while."
Pickwick Lock shared with the comment: "Demopolis Repairs Underway. 📸 John Wathen"
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May 7, 2024:
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| Matthew Cornelison posted Concrete done. Still a long ways to go. John Earl: How did they keep the water away from the concrete? Matthew Cornelison: John Earl we didn’t. Special formula that can cure under water. Gary Montgomery: What's the lift on that dam? Jim Colby: Gary, 40ft Jim Colby: Ryn, during last Wednesday's Corps of Engineers Waterway Users conference call, it was announced that there was the possibility that it could be open by the 21st of this month [May 2024]. We will get an update on that during tomorrow's call. |
Mark Meador shared a post of a 0:08 video of cleaning out the concrete debris.
See Holt Lock and Dam for more photos of H notch tows.
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