River channel closes this week (photo added)

NEWS RELEASE

U.S. COAST GUARD

************************* SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - In accordance with 33 CFR 162.117, the Captain of the Port Sault Ste. Marie will close the West Neebish Channel effective 1700 local time on January 20,2011.

Alternating one-way traffic will be established in the Munuscong and Middle Neebish channels.

The Coast Guard would like to remind all recreational ice users to plan their activity carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay away from shipping channels.

Further inquiries can be made by phone to Sault Vessel Traffic Service at (906) 635-3232 or via e-mail.

PHOTO CAPTION: St. Marys River - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay, a 140-foot ice breaking tug homeported in St. Ignace, MI, clears a path through the ice near Neebish Island, MI, January 17, 2011. Biscayne Bay is underway in support of Operation Taconite, the Coast Guard's largest domestic ice breaking operation, encompassing Lake Superior, St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac, and northern Lake Huron. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class George Degener.)

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