Belleville News Democrat

As U.S Reps. Mike Bost and Rodney Davis toured the Melvin Price Locks and Dam on Tuesday, a barge carrying the equivalent of 875 semis worth of coal came from the north and approached the East Alton locks.

When the barge from northern Illinois moved slowly through the locks on the Mississippi River, it illustrated the importance of maintaining the water infrastructure system.

“Our region’s waterways, chief among them the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, are a critical part of our economy,” Davis said.

Davis discussed the need for funding for locks and dams maintenance amid President Barack Obama requesting no money for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, which helps with long-term navigation improvements and ecological restoration along the Mississippi River system.

Bost and Davis, both Republican members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, are gathering input on metro-east water infrastructure issues in advance of the upcoming reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, according to their offices.