SNAKE RIVER, Wash. – Locks at Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental dams, currently closed for annual maintenance, adjusted their return-to-service dates to March 25 to accommodate needed repairs.
All eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation locks on the lower Columbia and lower Snake rivers closed to recreational and commercial river traffic on March 3 to conduct routine annual maintenance, inspections and repairs.
Ice Harbor; near Burbank, Washington, at Snake River mile 10; and Lower Monumental, near Kahlotus, Washington, at Snake River mile 41; were previously scheduled to reopen their locks on Sunday, March 18. Contractor work on the lock drain/fill valves at Ice Harbor requires the additional week to complete. At Lower Monumental’s lock, inspection of the upstream gate’s lower seal indicates it has sustained some damage by floating river debris and needs to be replaced.
Other locks in the Walla Walla District remain on schedule to reopen as originally planned - McNary at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, Lower Granite and Little Goose at 11:59 p.m. on March 25. The additional days are necessary to perform non-routine work which will require more time to complete than the typical two-week-long routine maintenance outage. The non-routine work includes, but is not limited to, gate structural repairs, navigation lock concrete repair and equipment/machinery repair/replacement.
Recreational vessel owners can find information on Corps-managed boat launches in the Walla Walla District at www.nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors. Portland District recreation information is online at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation.aspx.
To maintain safe and reliable passage through this valuable navigation system, the Corps districts coordinate these annual closures 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 www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation.aspx, and on Portland District’s website at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation.aspx.
The Corps’ Portland and Walla Walla districts maintain the commercial navigation route from the Pacific Ocean 465 miles inland to Lewiston, Idaho. The Columbia-Snake inland navigation system provides important benefits to businesses and the public. Barging on the inland Columbia-Snake river system moves on average approximately 9 million tons of cargo valued at more than $3 billion each year, supporting economic vitality for the Northwest and neighboring states that use the navigation channel. The navigation system helps generate jobs, facilitates imports and exports, and contributes to a stronger economy, environment and quality of life for the region.
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Release no. 18-025