ILLINOIS
Illinois is the 5th largest state by population with
a total of 12.9 million residents. Sixty‐ four
percent of the population is located in collar
counties around the city of Chicago. The major
inland waterways bordering the state
are the Mississippi River and Ohio River, while
the Illinois Waterway cuts diagonally through the
heartland of the state from Grafton to Chicago.
Figure 1. View of Chicago, IL cityscape from above Lake
Michigan
The importance of the waterway system to the
local population is best captured by the
population that lives within 100 miles of these
portions of the Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio
River inland waterway system. Approximately
17.5 million people live within a
100 miles of these major waterways. Of that
total, the state of Illinois contains a majority of
that population or approximately 12.3 million.
Several routes were consider and utilized for Great Lakes and inland river system connects. Routes in
Indiana and Wisconsin were sought after, partially constructed but never materialized. Illinois and
Michigan Canal constructed in 1848 was the original attempt for the connection in Illinois. It was
replaced by Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 and transportation operations ceased in 1956.
The inland navigation system bordering the State of Illinois utilizes fifteen locks on the Upper Mississippi
River and three locks on the Ohio River, one lock on the Kaskaskia River, seven locks on the Illinois River,
and two locks located in Chicago near Lake Michigan. Three deep draft harbors (Waukegan, Chicago,
and Calumet) provide access to domestic and international markets via the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Seaway.
The State of Illinois borders or contains over 1000 miles of the inland waterway system. The state’s
western border is defined by 580 miles of the upper Mississippi River. The Illinois Waterway flows for
more than 300 miles, from Lake Michigan diagonally across the state to the upper Mississippi which it
joins at river mile 217. The Kaskaskia River is also a part of the Mississippi River system; it is navigable for
36 miles and flows into the upper Mississippi River at river mile 117. The Ohio River forms 133 miles of
the southern border of Illinois from river mile 848 at the Indiana border through river mile 981 at the
Mississippi River.
Coal, grain, petroleum, and aggregates make up the majority of the commodities moving along the
inland waterway system. The state of Illinois also has the ability to move commodities via the Great
Lakes. Coal, petroleum and, ores/minerals are the top commodities moving on the Great Lakes system
to and from the state of Illinois. The vast majority of the commodity movements are shipments to
locations outside of the state to destinations in Louisiana, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky via the
inland waterway.
In 2013, over 92 million tons of commodities (mostly coal, petroleum, and grains) moved to, from, and
within Illinois (Table 1). Docks in Illinois shipped approximately 68.5 million tons or approximately 74% of
total tonnage. The trade imbalance in Illinois can be mostly attributed to the shipment of coal and grains
out of the State of Illinois. In terms of value, grains consisted of the most valuable commodity attributing
to the export trade imbalance.
Table 1.
Illinois 2013
Commodities Moved To, From and Within the State
(tons in thousands)
Shipped
Received
Within
Total
TOTAL
68,593.3
18,098.3
5,786.4
92,478.0
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
RIVER TRAFFIC
The inland navigation system in Illinois provides an all waterway route for commodities that supply
industries such as power generation, construction, and agriculture. In total there are approximately 296
manufacturing facilities, terminals, and docks on the inland navigation system in Illinois.
Figure 2.
In 2013 the predominate commodity being shipped by barge from the state of Illinois rivers was coal at
30.6 million tons. Grains shipments for domestic consumption were second at over 18 million tons. A
distant third was the petroleum related commodities at 5.6 million tons. The state of Illinois River
systems received 4.7 million tons of chemical commodities from ports outside of the state. The
remaining 9.9 million tons of commodities are distributed among coal, petroleum, aggregates,
ores/minerals, iron/steel, and a catchall category of others.
Table 3.
Illinois 2013 River Traffic
Commodities Moved To, From and Within the State
(tons in thousands; values in millions of dollars)
Commodity
Shipped
Received
Within
Total
Value
Coa l
30,609.8
1,602.6
1,936.4
34,148.8
$2,143
Petrol eum
5,617.4
1,437.7
1,055.0
8,110.1
$7,473
Crude Petrol eum 5,741.3
**
** 5,775.7
$3,471
Aggrega tes
1,864.5
1,786.5
2,125.9
5,776.9
$48
Gra i ns
18,031.7
**
** 18,860.6
$6,427
Chemi ca l s
1,888.8
4,735.1
440.4
7,064.3
$5,270
Ores /Mi nera l s
** 931.6
** 947.8
$319
I ron/Steel
917.0
1,851.4
23.8
2,792.2
$1,116
Others
** 1,672.1
** 2,592.0
$548
TOTAL
65,603.2
14,678.6
5,786.4
86,068.2
$26,816
**Insufficient barge operators to release this tonnage.
Commodity values are not calculated for foreign movements.
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics, 2012 NDSU
Commodity Valuation Analysis
LAKE TRAFFIC
Commodity movements differ between the inland system and the Great Lakes system. Shipments and
receipts were balanced for ports located in Illinois. Due to the limited number of operators located at
ports on the Great Lakes in the state of Illinois some specific commodity data cannot be released. Much of
the Great Lakes traffic can be attributed to clustering activity in southern Illinois and Northwestern
Indiana.
Figure 3.
Illinois 2013 Great Lakes Traffic
Others 19%
Iron/Steel 9%
Petroleum 19%
Ores/Minerals
12%
Chemicals 0%
Coal 35%
Grains 0%
Source: Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Aggregates 6%
Crude Petroleum
0%
(Tons in Thousands)
Table 4.
Illinois 2013 Great Lakes Traffic
Commodities Moved To, From and Within the State
(tons in thousands; values in millions of dollars)
Commodity
Shipped
Received
Within
Total
Value
Coa l
2,223.8
0.0
0.0 2,223.8
Petrol eum
163.7
1,028.3
0.0 1,192.0
$845
Crude Petrol eum
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Aggrega tes
**
**
0.0 370.3
Gra i ns
**
**
0.0 19.1
Chemi ca l s
**
**
0.0 19.6
Ores /Mi nera l s
**
**
0.0 779.8
$127
I ron/Steel
**
**
0.0 550.7
Others
482.5
771.9
0.0 1,254.4
TOTAL
2,990.1
3,419.7
0.0 6,409.8
$1,256
**Insufficient barge operators to release this tonnage.
Includes Foreign movements made on the Great Lakes.
Commodity values are not calculated for foreign movements.
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics, 2012 NDSU
Commodity Valuation Analysis
$94
$0
$3
$6
$11
$77
$93
STATE & OTHER TRADING PARTNERS
The state of Illinois ships out of the state nearly 4 tons for every ton the state receives. The largest
trading partner is the state of Louisiana. In 2013, the state of Illinois shipped almost half of all its
outbound commodities to the state of Louisiana of which forty‐eight percent of that tonnage was grain.
Shipments from Louisiana represented nearly half of all the receipts for the state of Illinois. Coal is the
predominate commodity that Illinois ships to the remaining major state trading partners. More than half
of the coal shipped out of Illinois is received by these four states.
Table 5.
Illinois 2013 Commodities
Shipped to and from Other States & Trading Partners
Shipments
Tons
Top Commodity
Shipments
To
(in thousands)
(% of Total)
From
Loui s i ana
35,146.1
Grai ns (48%)
Loui s i ana
Indi ana
9,709.3
Coa l (98%)
Mi s s ouri
Tennessee
8,103.6
Coa l (82%)
Indi a na
Ohi o
3,332.2
Coa l (88%)
Canada
Mi s s ouri
1,807.9
Coa l (39%)
Mi chi ga n
"Foreign" includes all overseas foregin countries, excluding Canada
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Tons
(in thousands)
7,804.1
2,082.4
1,431.6
1,221.0
985.6
Top Commodity
(% of Total)
Chemi ca l s (45%)
Aggrega tes (46%)
Petrol eum (77%)
Ores /Mi nera l s (59%)
Others (70%)
MAJOR PORTS
The vessel and commodity movement information collected and compiled is designed to meet the data
requirements of the Department of the Army in connection with the duties assigned by Congress. The
major ports shown below are not necessarily point specific port locations but are a general
agglomeration of docks within a designated region for purpose of meeting data requirement in
connection with the duties assigned by Congress.
Chicago Harbor, IL ‐ This port locality is portion of the Chicago downtown area bounded by Oak Street to
the north, Rush Street to the west, and Roosevelt Road to the south. The locality contains
approximately seven dock or anchorage locations.
Chicago, IL ‐ This port locality is defined by docks and anchorages located in the Chicago Area Waterway,
Lake Calumet, and Calumet Harbor and River. The Chicago Area Waterway includes: Chicago Harbor,
Chicago River, Main and North Branch, Chicago River, South Branch, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal,
Calumet‐Sag Channel and Lake Calumet, IL, Calumet Harbor and River, IL and IN. Project Depth: See
Chicago Harbor, and Chicago River. The locality contains approximately 188 docks, 1 anchorage, and 4
fleeting areas.
St. Louis, MO and IL– This port locality stretches 57 miles south of the city of St. Louis to approximately
14 miles north of the city. The locality has approximately 155 docks and 13 fleeting areas.
The tonnages represent the port commodity movements along these critical locations within the state of
Illinois. Totals for each port represent the total tonnage moved at each dock location in that port
designation. Only a nominal amount of commodities were moved in the narrowly defined Chicago
Harbor. Chicago and St. Louis are larger port regions moved nearly equivalent tonnages.
Table 6.
Illinois 2013 ‐ Top 3 Ports
(tons in thousands)
Type
Port Tons
Total Port
Rank
Within State
Tons
Port
Port Type
St. Loui s , MO and I L
Ri ver
2
17,833.0
33,574.7
Chi ca go, I L
La ke
3
15,428.9
15,428.9
Wa ukega n, IL
La ke
69
77.8
77.8
Tonnages represent only tons shipped or received in the state and port, and not necessarily the total
port tonnage.
Source: USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics
LOCKS AND DAMS
Twenty‐eight locks and dams operate along the inland waterways of the state of Illinois. Three locks are
located along the 130 mile stretch of the Ohio River. Eight locks are located along the Illinois Waterway.
Fifteen are located along the Mississippi River which is the western border of the state. Of the remaining
locks the Chicago Lock and Dam is located at the confluence of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the
Kaskaskia Lock and Dam is located at the mouth of Kaskaskia River confluence with the Mississippi River.
The stretch of the Ohio River that forms the southwestern border of Illinois is situated in one of the
busiest sections of the inland system. Only a small fraction of the millions of tons moved along this
short stretch of the system was destined for ports in Illinois. Three locks (Lock 52, 53, and Smithland)
moved between nearly 66 and 84 million tons of commodites in 2013.
Upbound and Downbound commodity movements (mostly chemical fertilizer) on the Mississippi River are
fairly balanced around the Upper Mississippi Locks and Dams 12 through 15. Unbound cargo locking
through Mississippi River Lock and Dam 24 is relatively similar to unbound cargo locking through
Mississippi River Lock and Dam 12 and all locks and dams in between. The upbound traffic tends to be
utilizing the Mississippi River navigation system as a conduit traversing the entire expanse of the
Mississippi River navigation system where as downbound traffic consisting mostly of grains, are loaded
continually throughout the Mississippi River navigation system. The tonnage downbound approaches
more than twice as much tonnage as the upbound tonnage as the locks and dams approach the
confluence with the Ohio River navigation system. This trend holds for the remainder of the Mississippi
River from Quincy, IL to Cairo, IL.
The bulk of the commodity movement on the Illinois Waterway is between the confluence with
Mississippi River navigation system and Lockport Lock and Dam. Over 26.8 million tons of commodities
are moved along the Illinois Waterway in 2013.
6
Table 7.
Illinois 2013 Lock Tonnage
(tonnage in thousands)
Lock
Waterway
Ohi o Ri ver L&D 52
Ohi o
Ohi o Ri ver L&D 53
Ohi o
Smi thl a nd L&D
Ohi o
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 27
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Melvin Pri ce L&D
Mi ssi ssi ppi
La gra nge L&D
I llinoi s
Peori a L&D
I llinoi s
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 25
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 24
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 22
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 21
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Sta rved Rock L&D
I llinoi s
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 18
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 20
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 19
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 17
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Ma rs eill es L&D
I llinoi s
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 16
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 15
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Dres den Is l a nd L&D
I llinoi s
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 14
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 13
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Mi ssi ssi ppi L&D 12
Mi ssi ssi ppi
Bra ndon Roa d L&D
I llinoi s
Lockport L&D
I llinoi s
Thoma s J O'Bri en L&D
I llinoi s
Ka s ka s ki a L&D
Ka s ka s ki a
Chi ca go Lock
Chi ca go
Source: Lock Performance Monitoring System
Upbound
40,524.8
29,312.4
31,776.0
18,188.1
16,773.7
8,143.5
8,950.8
7,237.0
7,219.0
7,115.9
7,400.6
7,945.4
8,015.8
6,827.6
6,762.0
7,978.6
7,572.3
7,370.5
7,703.3
7,260.1
7,305.3
6,691.6
6,679.5
6,668.7
6,281.1
3,185.6
638.3
Downbound
43,410.3
44,555.1
35,213.9
31,652.1
23,324.6
12,077.5
10,060.8
10,058.9
10,076.9
9,880.5
9,473.3
7,403.1
7,242.9
8,387.7
8,182.8
6,686.4
6,537.2
6,529.6
6,002.3
6,319.7
6,229.3
5,425.7
5,292.6
3,758.3
3,608.3
2,072.2
442.4
0.1 54.0
Total
83,935.1
73,867.6
66,989.9
49,840.2
40,098.3
20,221.0
19,011.5
17,315.9
17,295.8
16,996.4
16,873.9
15,365.5
15,258.7
15,215.3
14,944.8
14,665.0
14,109.5
13,900.1
13,705.6
13,579.7
13,534.6
12,117.3
11,972.1
10,427.1
9,889.4
5,257.9
1,080.7
54.2
RIVER SYSTEM
Illinois is situated at the confluence of two great rivers the Mississippi and the Ohio. The 356 miles of
the Mississippi that borders the state of Illinois has over 200 port related facilities located in the state.
The port facilities along the short 130 mile stretch of the Ohio River number in the low sixties. The
Illinois River is wholly within the state and has nearly two hundred port related facilities located along its
nearly 273 miles.
Tonnage movement along the Mississippi River exceeds tonnage moved along the shorter stretch of the
Illinois River. The value of the commodities moving along the Illinois River is of a much higher value on a
per ton basis. The Illinois Waterway is a combination of the Illinois River and the navigable portions of the
Chicago Area Waterway. The Calumet Harbor and River, the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, Cal‐Sag,
and the Chicago River make‐up the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). In 2013, the CAWS moved
approximately 14.7 million tons with a market worth of 4.9 million dollars.
7
Table 8.
Illinois 2013 Top 5 Waterways
(tons in thousands; values in millions of dollars)
Waterway
Tons
Mi ssi ssi ppi Ri ver
31,779.9
Ohi o Ri ver
27,955.1
I lli nois Ri ver, I L
18,530.2
Ca l umet Ha rbor and Ri ver, IL and I N
8,837.0
Chi ca go Sani ta ry and Shi p Ca na l , I L
5,937.4
Commodity Values not calculated for foreign/coastal movements.
Sources: USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics, 2012 NDSU Commodity
Value
$
$
$
$
$
11,593
3,274
8,902
2,149
2,821
Valuation Analysis
WATERBORNE DOMESTIC & CANADIAN/FOREIGN TRADING1
The advantage of the Illinois Waterway is the possibility of two potential import/export avenues. To the
north, the state of Illinois has the Illinois International Port. To the south, the state of Illinois has access to
the Port of New Orleans. Only a small percentage of the total U.S. exports was sent abroad via Illinois.
Imports coming into the US via Illinois only represent a small fraction of the U.S. import totals.
Waterborne foreign trade account mirrors the larger economy in both size and direction of trade.
Foreign trade via the state of Illinois shows an imbalance of imports to exports.
Table 9.
Illinois 2013
Domestic and Foreign Commodities
Foreign
Imports
Exports
Commodity
Total Tons
Domestic
Coa l
36,372.6
36,372.6
0.0
Petrol eum
9,302.0
9,173.8
55.9
72.3
Crude Petrol eum 5,775.7
5,775.7
0.0
Aggrega tes
6,147.3
5,986.2
161.0
Gra i ns
18,879.7
18,862.1
0.0 17.6
Chemi ca l s
7,083.9
7,064.3
18.8
Ores /Mi nera l s
1,727.6
1,013.3
714.3
I ron/Steel
3,342.9
2,893.9
449.0
Others
3,846.4
3,770.3
76.2
TOTAL
92,478.0
90,912.0
1,475.2
90.8
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.8
0.0
0.0
0.0