List of locks and dams of the Ohio River explained

This is a list of locks and dams of the Ohio River, which begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at The Point in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and ends at the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River, in Cairo, Illinois.

Evolution of navigation on the Ohio River

In the early days of steamboat navigation on the Ohio River the major physical hurdle that delayed travel was the Falls of the Ohio near Louisville, Kentucky. Steamboats could only maneuver over the falls during times of high water, which were not consistent. It was more practical for the steamboats to drop off passengers and freight on one end of the falls and transport them over land to the opposite end of the falls to another steamboat. This resulted in Louisville becoming a customary last stop for vessels on both legs of the Ohio. If a steamboat desired to travel unimpeded through the falls without waiting for high water, a canal and lock system was needed in order to circumvent the falls.

In 1825, construction began on that canal, and by 1830 the privately financed Louisville and Portland Canal was finished. The canal was constructed by hand tools with the help of animal-drawn scrappers and carts. The completed canal was two miles long with three locking chambers that created a total lift of 26 feet.[1]

Canalization

The amount of coal transported down river from Pittsburgh jumped greatly following the Civil War. The size of the tows also grew with the amount of coal hauled. Due to the escalating coal trade, the US Army Corps of Engineers began studying methods to produce a reliable navigation depth on the Ohio. The Corps launched an international study to analyze other navigation projects worldwide. They determined that building a system of locks and dams to form pools was the best solution to the problem.

Following the opening of the lock and dam at Davis Island in 1885, the venture proved to be worthy. In 1910, the Rivers and Harbors Act was authorized by Congress. The Act allowed the production of a system of locks and dams along the Ohio. In 1929, the canalization project on the Ohio River was finished. The project produced 51 wooden wicket dams and 600 foot by 110 foot lock chambers along the length of the river.

During the 1940s, a shift from steam propelled to diesel powered towboats allowed for tows longer than the 600 foot locks on the river. This meant barges had to be locked in two phases. This operation was dangerous and time-consuming. It backed up river traffic and increased expenses for the towing industry. The Corps initiated the Ohio River Navigation Modernization Program in the 1950s. The program's purpose was to replace the system of outdated wicket dams and small locks. The new dams were non-navigable and made of concrete and steel. Each dam has two adjoining locks, one 600-foot by 110-foot chamber, and a 1,200-foot by 110-foot chamber to accommodate fifteen barges that can lock through in one maneuver.[2]

Key




RDBRight Descending Bank
LDBLeft Descending Bank

Downstream, Pittsburgh to Olmsted

Locks & DamLocationCoordinatesRiver Mile Lock SideLock Lift/Drop
(in feet)		Pool Elevation
(feet above sea level)		Pool Length
(miles)

Pennsylvania

Emsworth Locks and DamPittsburgh, Pennsylvania40.5043°N -80.0889°W6.2RDB187106.2+
Dashields Locks and DamCoraopolis, Pennsylvania40.5489°N -80.2059°W13.3LDB106927.1
Montgomery Locks and DamMonaca, Pennsylvania40.6486°N -80.3855°W31.7LDB1868218.4

Ohio  - West Virginia

New Cumberland Locks and DamStratton, Ohio40.5277°N -80.6276°W54.3RDB2166422.6
Pike Island Locks and DamWheeling, West Virginia40.1498°N -80.7012°W84.2LDB2164429.9
Hannibal Locks and DamHannibal, Ohio39.6671°N -80.8653°W126.4RDB2162342.2
Willow Island Lock and DamNewport, Ohio39.3605°N -81.3204°W161.7RDB2060235.3
Belleville Lock and Dam[3] Reedsville, Ohio39.1188°N -81.7424°W203.9RDB2258242.2
Racine Lock and Dam[4] Letart, West Virginia38.9174°N -81.9116°W237.5LDB2256033.6
Robert C. Byrd Lock and DamGallipolis Ferry, West Virginia38.6816°N -82.1883°W279.2LDB2353841.7

Ohio  - Kentucky

Greenup Lock and Dam[5] Greenup, Kentucky38.6468°N -82.8608°W341.0LDB3051561.8
Captain Anthony Meldahl Locks and DamFoster, Kentucky38.7972°N -84.1705°W436.2RDB3048595.2

Indiana  - Kentucky

Markland Locks and Dam[6] Warsaw, Kentucky38.7745°N -84.9649°W531.5LDB3545595.3
McAlpine Locks and Dam[7] Louisville, Kentucky38.2828°N -85.7813°W606.8LDB3742075.3
Cannelton Locks and DamCannelton, Indiana37.8999°N -86.7059°W720.7RDB25383113.9
Newburgh Lock and DamNewburgh, Indiana37.9309°N -87.3722°W776.1RDB1635855.4
John T. Myers Locks and DamMt. Vernon, Indiana37.7935°N -87.9909°W846.0RDB1834269.9

Illinois  - Kentucky

Smithland Lock and Dam37.1656°N -88.4309°W918.5RDB2232472.5
Lock and Dam Number 52 (Removed)Brookport, Illinois37.1264°N -88.6533°W 938.9RDB1230220.4
Lock and Dam Number 53 (Removed)Grand Chain, Illinois37.2034°N -89.0419°W962RDB≤1729023.7
Olmsted Locks and Dam[8] (Replaced 52 and 53)Olmsted, Illinois37.1838°N -89.0635°W964.4RDB≤30--46.0

Footnotes

See also

References

General
Specific

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rhodes, Rick. The Ohio River In American History: Locks and Dams History . 2008 . Heron Island Guides . Saint Petersburg, Florida .
  2. Web site: History of Navigation Development on the Ohio River. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District. July 31, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110527055027/http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/opl/default.asp?MyCategory=214. May 27, 2011. dead.
  3. Web site: Belleville Hydroelectric Plant, AMP-Ohio. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District website. July 27, 2008 .
  4. Web site: Racine Dam Hydroelectric Plant, AEP. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District website. July 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090115083341/http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Articles/index.cfm?id=1614&pge_prg_id=7775. January 15, 2009. dead.
  5. Web site: Greenup Dam Hydroelectric Plant, Hamilton Ohio. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District website. July 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090115104705/http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/Articles/index.cfm?id=1641&pge_prg_id=7775. January 15, 2009. dead.
  6. Web site: Markland Dam Hydroelectric Plant, Cinergy. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District website. July 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090109082934/http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/opl/article.asp?id=86&MyCategory=1. January 9, 2009. dead.
  7. Web site: McAlpine Locks and Dam Replacement. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District website. July 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080628173146/http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Mcalpine_specproj/. June 28, 2008. dead.
  8. Web site: Olmsted Locks and Dam Construction. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District. July 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090109031845/http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/poi/default.asp?MyCategory=297. January 9, 2009. dead.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of locks and dams of the Ohio River".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.