Lake City, MN  (KROC AM News) - The latest measurements of the ice on Lake Pepin shows its not as thick as it was a week ago, but it remains as thick as it was in mid-February.

Crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers went out onto the ice Wednesday and found the thickest ice was at the south end of the lake and just south of Lake City at 24 inches. That’s down three inches from the measurements taken March 11th, but the thickness still needs to drop by over a foot before the ice will be thin enough for barges to ram through the ice and open the shipping season on the Upper Mississippi River.

Even if the ice quickly melts (a distinct possibility), the shipping season cannot begin until at least March 23rd when the Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled reopen the Lock and Dam at Fountain City, Wisconsin following the completion of some repairs and upgrades.

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