Ice On Lake Pepin Is Holding Back The First Towboats Of The Season

Three Towboats have made it as far as Wabasha on the Mississippi River, but as of Friday morning none had made it through Lake Pepin. All three - the "Kelly Lee," the "Mark Shurden" and the "Magnolia" - passed through Lock and Dam Four at Alma, Wis., this week but stopped short of trying to make it through Lake Pepin because of ice on the lake. All three Towboats are pushing barges. Last year, the first towboat of the season made it to St. Paul on March 20.
The Mark Shurden