Plans for re-opening the Menasha lock are formally on hold. Today, the board of directors of the Fox River Navigational System Authority (FRNSA) voted to stop work on the project and gave no date for resuming plans to develop an electric barrier in the lock channel.
The board voluntarily closed the lock in 2015 after the invasive round goby was found in the Fox River just north of the Menasha lock. Since 2015, FRNSA has been working with experts in aquatic ecosystem management to design a plan using a system of an electric deterrent barrier and water flow regulation at the Menasha lock. Finalizing the plan and constructing the barrier are estimated to cost about $7 million. Annual operating costs for the system are estimated at $300,000-$400,000.
Board members indicated further work on the proposal was not within the organization’s budget.
“We could not complete the design and construction of the barrier without significant funds from the state and federal governments,” said Phil Ramlet, executive director of FRNSA. Ramlet said the authority has already expended $750,000 to develop the plan and another $250,000 to continue a program of testing the Fox River for invasive species.
In the last ten years, the round goby has become abundant in the Fox River and Little Lake Butte des Morts. When the fish was discovered in the waters around Neenah, the lock system was not open to the Great Lakes due to the permanent barrier at the Rapide Croche lock.
“It’s possible the goby got into the Fox River through a bait bucket or a boat that was not properly cleaned,” Ramlet said. “There’s no guarantee that we could invest in building an electric barrier only to later find the goby in Lake Winnebago and render the system obsolete.”
Prior to closing the Menasha lock, it had been the busiest lock on the system; now the DePere lock is the busiest. The locks are the only way the Fox River is navigable—from Menasha to the Bay of Green Bay the river drops in elevation 168 feet. From the Menasha lock to the Rapide Croche lock the river has 17 miles of navigable water. On the northern end of the river from Rapide Croche to the Bay of Green Bay the river is navigable for 20 miles.
“Our goal has always been to restore navigation of the Fox River through the lock system, but we also want to ensure we are protecting the waterways,” Ramlet said. He added FRNSA has maintained a testing program for invasive species for years.
If the round goby does populate Lake Winnebago, we will work with DNR representatives to determine the best course of action regarding the Menasha lock.
