WISCONSIN
The State of Wisconsin has a population of 5.6
million residents, the 20th most populous in
the United States. Madison, WI is the state
capital with a population with
233.2 thousand residents. Milwaukee, WI is
the state’s largest city with a population of
594.8 thousand residents.
"Wisconsin" is the English spelling of a French
version of a Miami Indian name for the river
that runs 430 miles through the center of the
state. The original Miami word translates to
“Red Stone River.” The Wisconsin River was
utilized by French and English explores as a connection to the Mississippi River and the west. The route
was notably used by Marquette and Joliet in their 1673 expedition. In the mid 19th century, the route
was improved with a series of locks and canals linking the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers to form the Fox‐
Wisconsin Waterway. By this time other canals, such as the Illinois and the Michigan canal connecting
the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, were already completed. With the swing to railroads and
availability of other routes traffic on the Fox‐Wisconsin Waterway began to slow and eventually died off.
The Portage Canal, a component of the Fox‐Wisconsin Waterway, was finally abandoned in 1951; other
improvements to the river introduced barriers to navigation such as the dam at Prairie du Sac.
The State of Wisconsin, like most states in the region, is bordered by water. In the case of Wisconsin, it
is bordered on three sides by commercially navigable waterways. Lake Michigan defines Wisconsin’s
eastern border, Lake Superior and the state of Michigan define Wisconsin’s Northern border, and the
Mississippi River defines a large portion of Wisconsin’s western border.
In 2013, over 34.2 million tons of cargo (mostly coal and grains) moved by waterway to, from, and
within Wisconsin (Table 1). Docks in Wisconsin shipped approximately 24.8 million tons or
approximately 72.6% of total tonnage. The greatest amount of Wisconsin shipments originates in other
states. Iron ore mines in Minnesota and coal mines in Wyoming coal utilize Superior, Wisconsin docks,
which along with those at Duluth, Minnesota are the furthest western point on the Great Lakes.
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Table 1
Wisconsin 2013
Commodities Moved To, From and Within the State
(tons in thousands)
Shipped
Received
Within
Total
TOTAL
24,851.4
9,358.6
15.0
34,225.0
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
RIVER TRAFFIC
The Upper Mississippi River provides shippers access opportunities to the Great Lakes by way of the
Illinois River, the Middle Mississippi River, and the Ohio River System as well as ports on the Lower
Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico with their access to international market opportunities.
The Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin provides unique opportunities for coal‐fired power plant to
receive coal by barge and draw water from the river for use as their cooling. Dairyland Power Coop,
operating the John P Madgett, Alma and Genoa coal‐fired power plants, and Wisconsin Power and light
Company, operating the Nelson Dewey Coal Refining facility operated near Cassville, WI, are primary
users of this water resource and support Wisconsin’s number one industry (food processing).
Wisconsin's industrial sector, which includes energy‐intensive industries such as food processing,
chemical manufacturing, plastics, and forest products, was the highest energy consuming sector in the
State at 577 trillion Btu in 2010.
In 2013, the 2.2 million tons shipped by barge to, from and within Wisconsin were worth $380 million. A
sizeable portion of this tonnage, 1.3 million tons (62%), consisted of coal, followed by grains with 17%
and other products at 9%. Detail on coal traffic is redacted to protect proprietary information of
business practices along the Upper Mississippi River (Table 2).
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River traffic has an imbalanced relationship between shipping and receiving tonnage. Approximately
84% of the total cargo was received in the State of Wisconsin, with coal consisting of the majority of
these receipts. Approximately, 5 tons of cargo was received to every 1 ton shipped. Shipments and
receipts of grains ranked 2nd in terms of tonnage, grains ranked 1st in value terms. The 380.4 thousand
tons of grain shipped or received at river terminals was valued at $130 million.
Table 2
Wisconsin 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
Coal
**
**
0.0
1,375.4
$87
Petroleum
**
**
0.0
6.2
$6
Crude Petroleum
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$0
Aggregates
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$0
Grains
360.4
20.0
0.0
380.4
$130
Chemicals
0.0
**
**
61.3
$46
Ores/Minerals
0.0
100.4
0.0
100.4
$34
Iron/Steel
0.0
84.9
0.0
84.9
$34
Others
**
**
**
207.8
$44
TOTAL
364.2
1,852.3
0.0
2,216.5
$380
**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
Deep draft traffic in Wisconsin consists of vessels moving on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence
Seaway to connect to both domestic and international markets. Deep draft commerce for the State of
Wisconsin amounted to over 7.5 million tons of cargo receipts and 24.4 million tons of cargo shipments.
Around 50% of the total cargo consisted of coal. Of the 32 million tons reported to move across
Wisconsin’s docks on the Great Lakes, 24.4 million tons (76%) was cargo shipped to other states. With no
coal production in Wisconsin, the coal traffic reported is attributable to the transloading of western coal
from railroad to lake vessel at Wisconsin Lake Superior terminals. Wisconsin hosts the farthest western
port, Duluth‐Superior, allowing Wyoming coal access to Great Lakes deep draft docks and facilities
throughout the Great Lakes system (in both Canada and the U.S.), as well as the opportunity to reach
international markets by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Electric utilities are the primary market for
these western coals moving through Wisconsin lake terminals.
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The following are some of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes facilities with coal docks:
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
Elm Road generating station near the City of Oak Creek, WI operated by Wisconsin Electric
Power Co.
South Oak Creek generating station operated by Wisconsin Electric Power Co south of
Milwaukee on Lake Michigan.
Valley Plant operated by Wisconsin Electric Power Co on the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, WI.
The Edgewater electric generating plant near Sheboygan, WI operated by Wisconsin Power Co.
Green Bay West Mill plant operated by Georgia‐Pacific Consumer Products LP near the City of
Green Bay on the Fox River.
Pulliam Plant operated by Wisconsin Public Service Corps with coal and natural gas operations in
the City of Green Bay.
Other notable facilities include: the petroleum refinery Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP in
Superior, WI ‐ it receives crude oil supplies from the Lakehead Pipeline which originates in Western
Canada and the Charter Steel facility near Saukville, WI ‐ it has the capacity to produce 639 tons of steel
products.
In 2013, over 32 million tons with the value of $2.9 billion were shipped to, from and within Wisconsin
via the deep draft ports (Table 3). Valuable iron ore is a crucial raw material in the manufacturing
process of producing steel. Several facilities reside along the great lakes for the advantages of having
easy access to iron ore and coal. Facilities such as the ArcelorMittal at Indiana Harbor, IN and USX
Corporations in Gary, IN use large quantities of iron ore in their steel mills. More than 8.8 million tons of
iron/steel was shipped from Wisconsin with a value of $1.2 billion.
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Table 3
Wisconsin 2013 Great Lakes Traffic
Commodities Moved To, From and Within the State
(tons in thousands; values in millions of dollars)
Shipped
Received
Within
Total
Value
Coal
14,746.1
1,326.9
0.0
16,073.0
$680
Petroleum
**
177.9
**
216.0
$153
Crude Petroleum
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$0
Aggregates
**
1,997.0
**
2,007.5
$16
Grains
**
**
0.0
1,042.3
$323
Chemicals
**
**
0.0
100.6
$57
Ores/Minerals
0.0
**
**
2,270.1
$371
Iron/Steel
8,608.2
**
**
8,845.2 $1,238
Others
18.7
1,423.3
11.7
1,453.7
$107
TOTAL
24,487.2
7,506.3
15.0
32,008.5 $2,944
**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
Commodity
STATE & OTHER TRADING PARTNERS
There were 63 manufacturing facilities, terminals, and docks in Wisconsin that shipped and received
tonnage in 2013. Wisconsin docks shipped cargo by barge to 12 other states and received cargo from 10
other states. As shown in Table 4, the leading state shipped to was Michigan, receiving more than 11.5
million tons, consisting entirely of coal (100%). Other notable states shipped to are Indiana and
Minnesota with high percentages consisting of coal, iron and steel. The states Wisconsin shipped to tend
to all consist of one primary cargo type. Michigan destined cargo is dominated by coal shipments to
electric power plants. Indiana’s primary cargo received from Wisconsin was iron/steel products
(dominated by iron ore) used by steel mills located in northern Indiana on Lake Michigan. The leading
state shipping to Wisconsin was Michigan, which transported 3 million tons, mostly aggregates (62%).
Shipments from Illinois and Ohio amounted to 1.6 and 0.7 million tons, respectively. Both state’s cargo
was dominated by coal and utilized the Wisconsin’s river systems as the preferred transportation mode.
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Table 4
Wisconsin 2013 Commodities
Shipped to and from Other States & Trading Partners
Shipments
To
Tons
(in thousands)
Top Commodity
(% of Total)
Shipments
From
Michigan
11,534.0
Coal (100%)
Michigan
Indiana
5,599.4
Iron/Steel (100%)
Canada
Canada
5,270.3
Iron/Steel (52%)
Illinois
Minnesota
838.0
Coal (100%)
Ohio
Foreign
688.1
Grains (100%)
Iowa
"Foreign" includes all overseas foregin countries, excluding Canada
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Tons
(in thousands)
3,191.5
2,188.9
1,670.2
794.0
**
Top Commodity
(% of Total)
Aggregates (62%)
Ores/Minerals (95%)
Coal (82%)
Coal (72%)
**
MAJOR PORTS
The major ports shown below are not necessarily point specific port locations, but are generally an
agglomeration of docks within a single municipality or collection of municipalities recognized by a state
or states for the purpose of being designated as a port.
Duluth‐Superior, Wisconsin – Located at the western end of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway
(GLSLS), it is the farthest‐inland freshwater seaport and one of the leading bulk cargo ports in all of North
America. Duluth‐Superior ranks 1st of the Great Lakes ports in the U.S. in terms of tonnage 36.4 total
tons, of which 26.1 million tons moved across docks located in Wisconsin. There are 20 privately owned
and operated docks along 49 miles of waterfront in this harbor, plus one general cargo terminal, a
fueling depot, tug/barge services, and a shipyard with two dry docks. Duluth‐Superior handles a
diversified commodities base ranging from coal, iron ore, grain, and limestone to cement, salt, wood
pulp, steel coil, wind turbine components, and other heavy lift/dimensional equipment. 1
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The Port of Milwaukee is completely contained within Wisconsin. The Port of
Milwaukee moved 3.1 million tons across its docks in 2013. Cargo movements at the Port of Milwaukee
include: coal, asphalt salt, cement, grains, steel and machinery.
Prairie Du Chien Harbors, Wisconsin – Prairie Du Chien facilities include a sand and gravel operator. In
addition to aggregates, the port specializes in receipts of fertilizer, clays and salts. A portion of Prairie Du
Chien Harbors resides in Iowa. Of the 456,000 tons moving through this port, approximately 238,700 tons
is Wisconsin origin/destination cargo.
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Duluth – Superior Seaway Port Authority access on 12‐19‐2013 at: http://www.duluthport.com/port.php
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Table 5
Wisconsin 2013 ‐ Top 3 Ports
(tons in thousands)
Port
Type
Port Tons
Port
Type
Rank
Within State
Total Port Tons
Duluth‐Superior, MN and WI
Lake
1
26,149.7
36,477.3
Milwaukee, WI
Lake
25
3,129.4
3,129.4
PRAIRIE DUCHIEN HARBORS, WI
River
31
238.7
456.0
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
All of the 10 navigation locks and dams in Wisconsin are located on the Upper Mississippi River. The
Upper Mississippi River locks and dams begin with Mississippi River Lock and Dam 3 near Red Wing,
Minnesota and continue numerically downbound. Mississippi River Lock and Dam 4 is near Alma, WI;
Mississippi River Lock and Dam 5 is near Minnesota City, MN; Mississippi River Lock and Dam 5a is near
Fountain City, WI; Mississippi River Lock and Dam 6 is near Trempealeau, WI; Mississippi River Lock and
Dam 7 is near Onalaska, WI;, Mississippi River Lock and Dam 8 is near Genoa, WI; Mississippi River Lock
and Dam 9 is near Lynxville, WI; Mississippi River Lock and Dam 10 is near Guttenberg, IA; and
Mississippi River Lock and Dam 11 is near the Illinois and Wisconsin State line and Dubuque, IA.
As can be seen in Table 6 the majority of locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River tend to have
slightly more traffic upbound than downbound.
Table 6
Wisconsin 2013 Lock Tonnage
(tonnage in thousands)
Lock
Waterway
Upbound
Mississippi L&D 11
Mississippi
6,784.3
Mississippi L&D 10
Mississippi
6,166.3
Mississippi L&D 9
Mississippi
5,903.4
Mississippi L&D 8
Mississippi
4,541.6
Mississippi L&D 7
Mississippi
4,168.5
Mississippi L&D 6
Mississippi
4,117.8
Mississippi L&D 5
Mississippi
3,498.8
Mississippi L&D 5A
Mississippi
3,500.9
Mississippi L&D 4
Mississippi
3,493.3
Mississippi L&D 3
Mississippi
3,383.3
Source: Lock Performance Monitoring System
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Downbound
4,825.2
4,805.6
4,143.4
4,118.5
4,066.1
3,947.2
3,291.8
3,280.5
3,286.1
2,835.9
Total
11,609.5
10,972.0
10,046.7
8,660.0
8,234.6
8,065.0
6,790.5
6,781.5
6,779.3
6,219.3
RIVER SYSTEM
The State of Wisconsin borders nearly 200 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, which defines the
bottom half of Wisconsin’s western border with Minnesota and Iowa. The State of Wisconsin also has
800 miles of Great Lakes shorelines making up the state’s eastern border with Lake Michigan and portions
of its northern border with Lake Superior. Of the two Great Lakes bordering Wisconsin, Lake Superior
ranked highest in tonnage of Wisconsin waterways with 26.1 million tons. Lake Superior’s westernmost
position and docks at Duluth, MN and Superior, WI provides an advantage for western U.S. states desiring
to transload cargo with an origin/destined being on the Great Lakes in Canada or the
U.S., along with international destinations via the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The Upper Mississippi River ranked highest of the Wisconsin shallow draft waterways with nearly 2.1
million tons. The Black River is a tributary off the main Upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, WI,
moved 124,800 tons of Wisconsin traffic in 2013.
Table 7
Wisconsin 2013 Top 5 Waterways
(tons in thousands; values in millions of dollars)
Waterway
Tons
Value
Lake Superior
26,157.7 $
2,262
Lake Michigan
5,850.8 $
682
Mississippi River
2,091.7 $
329
Black River, WI
124.8 $
51
Sturgeon Bay, WI
0.1 $
‐
Commodity Values not calculated for foreign/coastal movements.
Sources: USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics, 2012 NDSU Commodity Valuation
Analysis
WATERBORNE DOMESTIC & FOREIGN TRAFFIC
Similar to other states in the region, Wisconsin enjoys the advantage of two potential import/export
avenues by water. To the north and east, the State of Wisconsin has deep draft Great Lakes harbors with
access to Canada and global markets by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway. To the west, the Upper
Mississippi River connects to the Lower Mississippi River and Ohio River system. By way of the Lower
Mississippi River, Wisconsin shipments have access to ocean‐going ports like Baton Rouge and New
Orleans, Louisiana on the Mississippi River and like Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast (accessed by way
of the Tennessee and the Black Warrior and Tombigbee waterway system). About 24%, of the state’s
total tonnage was imported/exported abroad.
Of the foreign traffic, exports consisted of 72% of the cargo and imports for roughly 28%. Coal and
Iron/Steel products (predominately iron ore) were exported in similar quantities. Wisconsin also
exported 718,600 tons of grain in 2013.
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Table 8
Wisconsin 2013
Domestic and Foreign Commodities
(tonnage in thousands)
Foreign
Total
Domestic
Imports
Exports
Tons
Coal
17,448.4
15,018.5
0.0
2,430.0
Petroleum
222.2
208.6
7.2
6.6
Crude Petroleum
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Aggregates
2,007.5
1,984.5
23.0
0.0
Grains
1,422.7
692.5
11.6
718.6
Chemicals
162.0
113.5
10.8
37.7
Ores/Minerals
2,370.5
294.7
2,075.8
0.0
Iron/Steel
8,930.1
6,044.6
119.9
2,765.5
Others
1,661.5
1,568.7
92.8
0.0
TOTAL
34,225.0
25,925.7
2,341.0
5,958.3
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Commodity
SOURCE
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
U.S. Census accessed at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0014.pdf
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel accessed at:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/report‐says‐great‐lakes‐divide‐can‐be‐rebuilt‐
de40b5f‐138375584.html
Wisconsin History accessed at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/topics/wisconsin‐name/
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board:
http://lwr.state.wi.us/category.asp?linkcatid=480&linkid=229&locid=50
Energy Information Administration accessed at http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=WI#tabs‐2
Duluth‐Superior Seaway Port Authority accessed at: http://www.duluthport.com/
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