An aerial view of the Port of Green Bay. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Port of Green Bay has been closed for almost one month; as it remains unsafe for cargo ships to safely navigate the Fox River. The closure costing area businesses millions of dollars.
The Port of Green Bay brings an estimated $217 million to the area economy each year. Its activity has been on pause since April 18, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says May 15 is the earliest it could resume.
“Right now, in real time, we’re seeing some of the challenges when you have the port not operating as effectively as you’d like,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
Winter storms in March and last month’s record rainfall are being blamed for high water levels and flow velocity on the Fox River.
These conditions have left cargo ships, like the Erieborg of the Netherlands, without great options. The vessel has been anchored in Green Bay for more than two weeks, waiting for the water to ease.
“There’s a variety of options. They’re all costly,” said Dean Haen, director of the Port of Green Bay. “One is to sit and wait. Two is to just not do business in Northeastern Wisconsin, and three is to use a different port and either use trucks or trains to get that product into the region.”
Haen estimates 12-15 vessel deliveries have been affected, costing port businesses between $15-20 million.
“The trickle down effect, I wouldn’t be able to put numbers on that,” said Haen. “But should, for instance, manufacturing facilities have raw materials and have to stop production, that number is going to grow significantly.”
Haen said options were considered to at least temporarily ease conditions so ships could safely get in. That included adjusting dams that were opened to alleviate Lake Winnebago water levels. Ultimately, it was decided to just wait it out.
“In the end, none of that proved to be fruitful enough,” said Haen. “The best solution and the solution agreed upon by the port operators was just to keep the gates open and let’s get through it.”
The port has 14 terminal operators. Some said they haven’t been affected, while others indicated the situation is exactly as Haen has described.
The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers shared a statement about the situation:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District continues actively managing elevated water flows throughout the Fox-Wolf-Winnebago watershed following a significant regional flood event driven by heavy snowpack, rapid warming and substantial rainfall across Northeast Wisconsin.
During the peak of the event, Lake Winnebago exceeded the authorized regulation threshold, requiring the Corps to maintain maximum practical outflows from the lake in accordance with established water control requirements in order to safely move floodwaters through the system and reduce upstream flood risk.
As high flows moved downstream, strong current conditions began impacting vessel navigation and cargo operations within Green Bay Harbor.
On Wednesday 6 May 2026, Colonel Kenneth Rockwell, Commander of the USACE Chicago District, met with the Port of Green Bay, commercial carriers, emergency management officials, the Coast Guard and other stakeholders to discuss operational conditions and the path forward. Discussions focused on balancing continued flood risk management across the watershed while working toward restoring full commercial navigation access to the Port of Green Bay as quickly and safely as conditions allow.
The Corps will continue closely monitoring watershed conditions and coordinating with federal, state, local and industry partners as flows continue to recede across the system.
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