STARBUCK, Wash. – Public vehicle traffic across Little Goose Lock and Dam will be temporarily suspended Oct. 27 through Nov. 3 to accommodate the arrival of the next generation of spillway weirs, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, operations officials at the dam.
The navigation lock will also be temporarily closed to river traffic on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. as the ASW components are transferred by crane from a barge to the top deck of the dam, said Little Goose Dam’s Chief of Operations Jeannette Wilson.
The adjustable spillway weir (ASW), features a mechanical hoist, enabling incremental height adjustments to the weir crest to better manage water flows for out-migrating juvenile salmon during spring run-off or summer flows, or possible night operations without the use of a large crane. An overlapping water-stop panel slides in a track to move up and down with the crest component. The ASW will replace the existing, non-adjustable, top spillway weir (TSW) currently installed in spillway bay number 1.
Spillway weirs allow juvenile salmon and steelhead to pass the dam near the water surface under lower accelerations and lower pressures, providing a more-efficient and less-stressful dam passage route. Surface passage structures are now in place at all the Corps’ Columbia and Snake rivers dams.
Corps staff have coordinated with commercial navigators to minimize shipping impacts. Vehicle travelers are encouraged to check the dam-crossing information line for updates 1-888-DAM-INFO (1-888-326-4636).
Access to the south shore tailrace park, picnic area and river walk at the downstream end of the navigation lock remains open to the public, as well as Little Goose Landing, located one mile upstream of the dam. The nearest bridge across the Snake River is located about 8 miles northwest of Starbuck, Washington, on Highway 261, between Lyons Ferry Marina and Lyon Ferry State Park.
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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Release no. 17-111