Coal Barges Move; Superior Stays High Above Winter Mark

Chris Izworski, reporting from Bay City for the Great Lakes Gazette, tracks a busy Wednesday and Thursday across the Erie and Superior basins as operators make hay during the early season push. The *Herbert C. Jackson* loaded coal at Norfolk Southern in Sandusky and departed for Detroit on the fourth, while the *American Century* finished unloading coal at DTE in Monroe the same morning—classic spring-into-summer activity as power plants and industrial users stock up. Elsewhere on Erie, the *Joyce L. VanEnkevort* (Great Lakes Trader) left Toledo for Drummond Island, and the *Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder* cleared the Cliffs stone dock in Cleveland before heading back to Marblehead. Over on Superior, the *St. Marys Challenger* barge was hauled into the graving dock at BayShip in Sturgeon Bay on Wednesday for her five-year inspection and paint job—a methodical undertaking that will keep her there through the week. Her tug, the *Prentiss Brown*, is also in the floating dry dock for concurrent work. Meanwhile, far to the east, the ATB *Gracie M. Reinauer* departed Shell's middle dock in Sarnia on June 3 with tank barge RTC 109 bound for New York, indicating a strong export trade in refined products. Lake Erie stands at 3.02 feet above Low Water Datum, well within comfortable margins for summer navigation, while Superior holds at 1.78 feet and Michigan at 2.00 feet—all solid figures heading into peak season. Light to moderate waves persist across the system, and high pressure centered over the Ohio Valley will gradually weaken through Friday, with a weak low moving into the Great Lakes by Saturday. The early-season coal and cargo activity underscores why NOAA funding matters: accurate forecasting and water-level data keep vessels moving safely and on schedule. Scientists worry federal budget cuts could hamstring those services and jeopardize both public safety and the maritime economy on these waters.