Transportation is the backbone of the American economy and global competitiveness, with highways, railways, airports, and ports dominating the headlines. Yet one of the most essential U.S. freight networks operates largely out of sight and out of mind – a natural gift to our nation – the inland waterways system.

From the towboats pushing barges along the Mississippi River and Ohio River and its tributaries, through the locks and dams built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the inland waterways quietly transport hundreds of millions of tons of cargo annually, from grain, fertilizer, coal, petroleum, steel, aggregate and construction materials, and large cargoes like wind mill blades and facility components. And it does so in the most fuel efficient, traffic congestion-relieving, safest way, with the smallest carbon footprint per ton-mile of any surface transportation mode.

Inland waterways are critical to:

• Food security (Midwestern grain reaches global markets via river terminals, through locks).
• Energy reliability (petroleum and bulk fuels move through the river and locks system).
• Industrial supply chains (steel, cement, and aggregates support construction and manufacturing in the U.S. and beyond)
• Resilience and redundancy (when highways or rail lines are disrupted, the waterways provide alternative capacity)

And yet, despite its national significance, inland navigation remains largely invisible to the public. But this invisibility has presented both a challenge and an opportunity to advocate, communicate, and educate.

I have spent the last 23 years of my career with Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), the national public policy organization that advocates for modern, efficient, well-funded inland waterways and ports. At WCI, I have worked to communicate the intrinsic value of lock and dam infrastructure on the inland waterways because when infrastructure is unseen, it is likely underfunded, misunderstood and undervalued/under-appreciated in national policy discussions.

Telling the story of the importance of modern inland waterways infrastructure has become nearly as strategic as ensuring the locks themselves are built and funded efficiently.

I have worked to convey the value of the system, with my WCI teammates, using traditional media (meeting with editorial boards, pitching stories to key writers, submitting op eds and commentaries, planning media field trips and tours of lock facilities) as well as social media.  This communications work has been critical to call attention to infrastructure needs on the system or to address crises such as lock closures, drought, flooding, or supply chain disruptions.

Telling the story of those who operate on the system – the towboat captains, deckhands, engineers, cooks and lockmasters help to connect the public to infrastructure by making it more relatable and better understood.

We have also worked hard to visualize the system through videos, infographics, and drone footage of locks and barge tows to demonstrate how the system operates, but also the scale and efficiency of the waterways. A 15-barge tow has the same capacity as 1,050 trucks on our highways and 216 rail cars and 16 locomotives – simply stunning volume!

And while everyday consumers may not see the contents of a barge or truly understand its contents or connection to their lives, WCI’s social media campaigns have focused on “What’s in Those Barges?” …everything from alcohol used in solvents for electronics manufacturing, to alloys for jewelry making, to barley used in recipes and soups.

America’s inland waterways are a strategic national asset with a multitude of beneficiaries ranging from farmers, shippers, recreation and tourism, commercial towboat operations, those who receive hydropower, industrial and municipal water supply, waterfront property development, and more.

The U.S. inland waterways support exports, stabilize supply chains, reduce emissions, and strengthen transportation resilience, at the lowest cost to shippers and therefore to consumers.

By using media, social media and communications intentionally and strategically, we can ensure that the locks, dams, towboats, ports and terminals, and shippers and producers of goods shipped on the system are no longer hidden in plain sight.

Our nation’s river system flows silently, but its story should not.

Visit https://waterwayscouncil.org/