[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1629-E1630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONTROLLING THE ILLINOIS RIVER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 1997

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to pay 
tribute to several constituents that recently received national 
recognition. Lockmaster Stan Wallace, Assistant Lockmaster Dave Hood, 
and Equipment Mechanic Bill Cross have been awarded the Department of 
Energy's Hammer Award, for their innovative work.
  These gentlemen have pioneered a new procedure that raises each of 
the 109 wickets on the Illinois River in a less dangerous, physically 
easier, and more efficient process. Raising the wickets, which 
previously took 16 to 18 hours, now only takes 1 or 2 hours and, as a 
result, will save taxpayers $1 million over the life of the dam. The 
new process includes loading a backhoe onto a barge and floating it out 
to the dam. The backhoe uses a specially rigged hook to catch and raise 
the wicket.
  I commend these gentlemen for their original thinking and hard work. 
I also encourage the Department of Energy to continue fostering ideas 
that emanate from their local employees who are closest to the 
problems. Stan

[[Page E1630]]

Wallace, Dave Hood, and Bill Cross are an excellent example of how 
American ingenuity and hard work pay off, not only for their fellow 
colleagues, but also for the taxpayers of this great Nation.

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