WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct routine annual inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs at all navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers during March.
All locks in the navigation system will close to recreational and commercial river traffic on March 5 at 6 a.m. to perform routine inspections and maintenance, as well as some non-routine work. Portland District locks are scheduled to reopen at 11:59 p.m. on March 19. Walla Walla District locks are scheduled to return to service at 11:59 p.m. on March 26. 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 and machinery replacement.
Walla Walla District dams with navigation locks include: McNary Dam, located near Umatilla, Oregon, at Columbia River mile 292; Ice Harbor; near Burbank, Washington, at Snake River mile 10; Lower Monumental, near Kahlotus, Washington, at Snake River mile 41; Little Goose, near Starbuck, Washington, at Snake River mile 70 and Lower Granite Dam, near Pomeroy, Washington, at Snake River mile 107. Portland District’s Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day navigation locks are located at Columbia River miles 145, 191 and 216, respectively.
Work activities will require the suspension of public vehicle crossings at Lower Monumental Dam throughout the navigation lock maintenance outage. Little Goose Dam may experience temporary closures to public vehicle crossings to accommodate work activities as it becomes necessary -- travelers are strongly encouraged to call 509-399-2233, extension 227, well in advance of arrival to determine crossing opportunities. Travelers wishing to cross Lower Granite Dam may encounter delays of up to one hour on March 5 as cranes and bulkheads are maneuvered on top of the dam.
Operations officials note vehicle crossing closures can occur at any time. The district may, with little or no advance notice, close access to traffic for extended periods of time due to operations, maintenance or construction-related activities at a dam. A change in security conditions could also terminate public access across the dam until such time as threat levels decrease. The public will be notified about closures, if possible, in advance, but the crossing is still subject to closing at any time. Travelers can call 1-888-DAM-INFO (1-888-326-4636) for the most current dam-crossing information.
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 maintaining 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 Columbia-Snake river system moves on average approximately 9 million tons of cargo valued at over $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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