Real-Time Assessment of the Columbia–Snake River Extended Lock Outage

Abstract

Waterborne movements, one of the more economical methods of all modes of transportation, are a key component of the multimodal transportation system in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The Columbia–Snake River system in the Pacific Northwest underwent a sustained lock outage from December 2010 to March 2011. This outage eliminated barge transportation on much of the upper Columbia River and all of the Snake River. Shippers, carriers, and ports on the river projected the impact of the loss of a major mode of transportation to be substantial and the impact on demands of other modes of transportation to be dramatic. A study done in real time took advantage of the disruption of the Columbia–Snake system to determine the dynamics of the overall process and the impacts of such a change induced by an outage. The study reported specifically on the Pacific Northwest wheat industry, 75% of downriver commodity movement. A transportation disruption like that of the extended lock outage on the Columbia–Snake River system had never occurred in the United States. The study authors were able to evaluate the logistic, economic, and environmental impacts of a sustained halt in barge transportation. Overall, Columbia–Snake River stakeholders were well prepared and managed to navigate the disruption in transportation without incurring inordinate costs at a net cost per bushel of 6 cents.