Contact: MARC MORANO (202) 224-5762
marc_morano@epw.senate.gov  
MATT DEMPSEY (202) 224-9797
matt_dempsey@inhofe.senate.gov     

Inhofe Statement on Lock and Dam Renaming in Honor of Colonel Charles D. Maynard 

WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded the passage of the bill renaming a Lock and Dam on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System after Colonel Charles D. Maynard.

 

“Colonel Maynard was a great asset to the Corps of Engineers, as well as to this country,” Senator Inhofe said of the legislation he supported. “Maynard led the planning, design, and construction of 13 locks and dams of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which at the time was the largest civil works project ever undertaken by the Corps.  This system serves many water resource purposes, including clean energy from hydroelectric power, navigation for all types of industries, recreation, and many others that are essential to Oklahoma and to our nation.” 

Background:  

Legislation (HR 781) passed in the Senate on June 24, 2008, after being passed in the House of Representatives on July 17, 2007, will rename Lock and Dam No. 5 of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to the “Colonel Charles D. Maynard Lock and Dam” in honor of Colonel Maynard. 

 

 

Colonel Charles D. Maynard was a graduate of West Point in 1941 and earned graduate degrees from Harvard University, Rensselaer Polytechnic University, the George Washington University, and Rutgers University.  After graduating from West Point, Colonel Maynard spent time in the Coast Artillery before transferring to the Army Corps of Engineers.  Colonel Maynard served in both New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II.  He later served as District Engineer of the Little Rock District of the Corps of Engineers.  It was in this position that he directed the planning, design, and construction of 13 locks and dams of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.  Colonel Maynard was also a proven leader in both professional and community organizations.  He was the Chairman and President of the Water Resources Association of America, a 21-year member of the Arkansas Waterways Commission, U.S. Savings Bond Coordinator for Arkansas, President of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, and much more. 

 

The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (‘MKARNS’) is a waterway system that is 445 miles long and runs from the Mississippi River to Catoosa, Oklahoma. It has a series of eighteen locks and dams, thirteen in Arkansas and five in Oklahoma, which allows vessels to change a total elevation of 420 feet. MKARNS provides navigation, hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, sediment control, recreation, and fish and wild life propagation improvements to the Arkansas River Basin. 

 

Lock and Dam No. 5, located at Navigation Mile 86.3, began operating in 1968.  In fiscal year 2006, the number of lockages conducted totaled 2,110 and included movement of 8,852,422 tons of commodities.  During the same period, public visitation exceeded 800,000 visitor hours at two developed parks along the pool.

 

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