Ice on Pittsburgh's rivers keep Emsworth Locks and Dams workers on alert

With these weeks of cold weather and even colder temperatures ahead, the rivers around the Pittsburgh region are filling with ice. For the Army Corps of Engineers, it's a battle. 

"So in normal conditions, we pull these barges out," lockmaster Timothy Jones explained. "They free flow upriver and the guys on the barges stop it with our help."

"Right now, he's stuck in ice, so I think what's going to happen is they're going to bring the tow boat through the small chamber and he's going to have to pull his own cut," he said. 

With all this ice, barges get stuck. Twenty staff at Emsworth are working 24-7. Jones said they're looking at multiple ice situations. 

"We are here to keep traffic moving and we're at the mercy of Mother Nature, really," said Jones. 

Mother Nature can create ice jams, which are like icebergs that can potentially slam into bridges, docks, boats and more.

"It's very important for us to keep track of that because at a certain point we want to potentially shut down our locks and dams to prevent damaging the equipment if the ice thickness gets too deep," Col. Nicholas Meline with the Army Corps of Engineers said.

At last update, the Monongahela River has 1 to 3 inches of ice, and the Army Corps of Engineers said the Allegheny River is 90% covered with ice that's about 1 to 5 inches thick.

Meline said they work with the Coast Guard to make that call. Meantime, ice can also slow down the transport of goods on barges, like much-needed salt.

These locks and dams serve as an essential ingredient to keep the rivers open. It's a relentless task to prevent ice building up all day, every day, in deep cold. 

"Keep everyone safe, but yet, we have a job to do and we'll get it done," said Jones.

Sometimes it can take between an hour to two hours to open the gates depending on the ice that's here. Crews expect to work with ice well through March.