MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A plan to create a way to reopen the Menasha Lock to boaters is moving forward.
The site is located in the city of Menasha, along the Fox River, between Little Lake Butte des Morts, and Lake Winnebago.
Authorities closed the gates here eight years ago, after an invasive fish, called the round goby, was caught below the Neenah Dam.
Officials say it will take years before the project is complete.
The gates are secured, and the manually-operated levers are belted in place. Since September of 2015, the Menasha Lock has been closed for business. But a new engineering study from the Fox River Navigational System Authority could change that. The plan would extend the concrete walls of the lower lock about 100 feet, and build what consultant Jason Kent calls an electric deterrent system.
“The electric deterrent system is intended to stop the movement of round gobies upstream into the Menasha Lock. They would sense the electrical field as they approach it from the north, in the Fox River, and Little Lake Butte des Morts, and then just turn around to avoid it. Another possibility is that they would go ahead and try to enter it, in which case they would become immobilized and not be able to advance up into the Menasha Lock,” said Jason Kent, Kleinschmidt Associates.
The pulsing field will stretch from the surface to the bottom. And while using the lock, Kent says boaters will need to stay in their vessels. He says the experience is safe for humans.
“Just a quick reaction, to take your hand our of the water as if you were putting your finger into a bowl of hot water,” said Kent.
Officials say it could cost about $6 million to build.
“$6 million dollars is a lot of money, and the Authority can’t afford on its own to build this project. So, we’ll be taking a look at trying to raise the money, from local, state and federal politicians to help us,” said Phil Ramlet, Fox Locks Chief Executive Officer.
Ramlet says Fox River Navigational System Authority and the Department of Natural Resources would need to approve the initiative. And while there are dozens of ways to access places on the Lake Winnebago System, Ramlet says the approach would help protect sportfishing, which includes walleye and sturgeon.
“We can only control the situation that we can control. So, we feel very confident the electric deterrent would work in this situation,” he said.
