16-069 Ice Harbor navigation lock repairs to temporarily slow lockage times

Published Sept. 23, 2016
BURBANK, Wash. – Work on a tainter valve in Ice Harbor Dam’s navigation lock will temporarily cause increased lockage times Sept. 26 to Dec. 12, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation officials at the Walla Walla District.

While the valve work does not prevent the lock from being used, it does take about twice as long to operate the lock while having only one functioning drain valve, increasing lockage times by about 15 to 20 minutes.

The valve repair is a necessary step in preparing for the upcoming extended navigation lock outage, set for Dec. 12, 2016, through March 20, 2017. The 14-week-long closure will affect all Corps navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers, with critical, major repairs, routine maintenance and improvements scheduled to occur. This coordinated effort between the Corps’ Portland and Walla Walla districts, prioritizes needed lock repairs to minimize impacts to river users.

The Corps has notified commercial navigators and other stakeholders of the temporary outage. The Corps coordinates navigation maintenance with inland shippers and cruise lines to achieve minimal impact to the various industries that use the locks. Public Notices and other navigation lock information are available on the Walla Walla District website at http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation.aspx.
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Contact
Public Affairs Office
509-527-7020
cenww-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 16-069