Emsworth Locks & Dams

Aerial view of Emsworth Locks and Dams0 Western Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15202-1708
412-766-6213

 

Emsworth Locks and Dams is one of six major river facilities on the Ohio River in the Pittsburgh Engineer District. This facility stands at the head of the Ohio River navigation system and forms a 24-mile pool on the three rivers around the city of Pittsburgh.

Location
Emsworth Locks and main channel dam are located near the towns of Emsworth, Avalon and Ben Avon, Pa. The back channel dam is located at Neville Island, Pa.



History
Construction began at Emsworth in 1919 and continued until 1922, with the locks first opening in September 1921.
     The facility replaced three older wicket-type dams which were constructed between 1877 and 1915. They were: the original Lock and Dam 1 on the Ohio River at Davis Island (completed in 1885); the original Lock and Dam 1 on the Allegheny (1902); and Lock and Dam 1 on the Monongahela (1915). Davis Island Lock and Dam was the first federally built navigation project and served as a model for the 52 wicket dams built on the Ohio River to permit reliable river traffic from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Ill.
     The Corps rebuilt and converted the dam to a gated structure between 1935 and 1938. This action raised the pool an additional 7 feet to accommodate larger, more modern barges. From 1981-86, some $30 million was invested in a major rehabilitation of the facility. Rehabilitation included the replacing of electrical systems, operating machinery and buildings and re-surfacing of the lock walls.
     Another rehab of the project is currently underway, and will improve scour protection, vertical lift gates, gate operating machinery and emergency bulkheads.

 

Project Information
The Emsworth project consists of two gated dams, one of the two major types in service in the Pittsburgh District. Gated dams are constructed to permit increased control over the water level in the navigation pool upriver of the dam. Machinery mounted on tall concrete piers moves large chains which lift gates that are hinged into the body of the piers. As the gates are raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing under them, the upstream pool is maintained at a relatively constant level for an authorized depth of at least 9 feet throughout its length. The dam, however, cannot be operated to control flood flows. An incidental benefit derived from the pool formed by the dam is the availability of a source of municipal and industrial water.

 

Emsworth averages about 470 commercial lockages every month, plus another 350-400 lockages of pleasure craft during the busy summer months.

Dashields Locks & Dam

Aerial view of Dashields Locks and Dam100 Dashields Lock Road
Coraopolis, PA 15108-5417
724-457-8430

 

Dashields Locks and Dam is one of six major Pittsburgh District river facilities on the Ohio River. It is the only fixed crest type dam still in service on the Ohio River. This facility maintains the navigation pool for 7 miles from Glenwillard, Pa., upriver to the Emsworth Locks and Dam near Pittsburgh.

Location 
Dashields Lock lies on the left descending bank a few miles upriver from Aliquippa, Pa. The project is off Route 51 near the small town of Glenwillard and across the river from the nearby residential communities of Edgeworth and Sewickley.


History
Dashields was constructed from 1927-29 and opened for navigation in August 1929. It eliminated Lock and Dam 3, an old style wicket dam, which was built by the Corps from 1899-1907. The structure was named after David Shields, a member of a prominent local family and long-time postmaster of Old Sewickley Bottom in the 1800s.

Project Information
Dashields Locks and Dam consists of two lock chambers and a fixed crest dam, one of the major types in use. This dam is basically a concrete wall across the river which keeps the channel deep enough for navigation and for residential and industrial water supply users. Dashields averages about 450 commercial lockages every month, plus another 200 to 300 lockages of pleasure craft during the summer months.

 

Montgomery Locks and Dam

Aerial view of Montgomery Locks and Dam100 Montgomery Dam Road
Monaca, PA 15061-2221
724-643-8400

Location
Montgomery lies on a thickly-forested length of the river on the left descending bank off Route 18, about 5 miles downriver from Beaver, Pa., near Raccoon Creek. It is about three miles upriver from the first large scale nuclear power plant in the U.S. at Shippingport, PA.


History
Montgomery Locks and Dam was constructed from 1932 to 1936. The locks opened in June 1936. This facility eliminated the original Locks and Dams 4 (built 1898-1908), 5 (1898-1907) and 6 (1892-1904). These three dams were old-style wooden wicket dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to raise the first shallow navigational pool on this stretch of the Ohio.

Project Information
Montgomery Locks and Dam has a gated dam, one of the two major types in service in the Pittsburgh District. This type of dam is constructed to permit increased control over the water level in the navigation pool upriver of the dam. Machinery mounted on tall concrete piers moves large chains which lift gates that are hinged into the body of the piers. As the gates are raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing under them, the upstream pool is maintained at a relatively constant level for an authorized depth of at least 9 feet throughout its length. The dam, however, cannot be operated to control flood flows. An incidental benefit derived from the pool formed by the dam is the availability of a source of municipal and industrial water.

Montgomery averages about 300 commercial lockages every month, plus another 150 lockages of pleasure craft during the busy summer months.

 

New Cumberland Locks & Dam

Aerial view of New Cumberland Locks & DamP.O. Box 159
Stratton, OH 43961-0159
740-537-2571

Location
New Cumberland Locks and Dam is located on the right descending bank of the Ohio River, just off Ohio State Route 7 at the small town of Stratton, Ohio. Across the river and two miles downstream lies New Cumberland, W.Va., the originally planned site of the lock and dam, and hence its namesake. The tall stacks and white steam of the coal-fired Ohio Edison Sammis Power Plant between Stratton and neighboring Port Homer tower over the project.

History
The New Cumberland navigation project was constructed from 1955 to 1961, with the locks opening for traffic in November 1959. This facility eliminated the original Locks and Dams 7, 8 and 9 which were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904-1914. The three replaced projects each contained a single lock and the old-style wooden wicket dam

Project Information
The New Cumberland project has two locks and a gated dam, one of the two major types of dams in service in the Pittsburgh District. Gated dams are constructed to permit increased control over the water level in the navigation pool upriver of the dam. Machinery mounted on tall concrete piers moves large chains which lift gates that are hinged into the body of the piers. As the gates are raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing under them, the upstream pool is maintained at a relatively constant level for an authorized depth of at least 9 feet throughout its length. The dam, however, cannot be operated to control flood flows. An incidental benefit derived from the pool formed by the dam is the availability of a source of municipal and industrial water.

New Cumberland averages about 320 commercial lockages every month, plus another 120 lockages of pleasure craft during the busy summer months.

Pike Island Locks & Dam

Aerial view of Pike Island Locks and DamRR #1, Box 33
Wheeling, WV 26003-9701
304-277-2127

Location
The lock chambers lie on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River along West Virginia Route 2, just north of the Warwood district of the city of Wheeling. The villages of Yorkville, site of a large steel plant, and Tiltonsville are across the river in Ohio.


History
The Pike Island locks were constructed from 1959-63, and were opened in November 1963. The dam was constructed from 1962-65. This structure replaced Locks and Dams 10 and 11, built by the Corps from 1912-16 and 1904-11, respectively. These had smaller lock chambers with old-style wooden wicket dams which were raised and lowered manually by the lock crews to maintain the required navigation depth in the river.

Project Information
The Pike Island project has two locks and a gated dam, one of the two major types of dams in service in the Pittsburgh District. Gated dams are constructed to permit increased control over the water level in the navigation pool upriver of the dam. Machinery mounted on tall concrete piers moves large chains which lift gates that are hinged into the body of the piers. As the gates are raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing under them, the upstream pool is maintained at a relatively constant level for an authorized depth of at least 9 feet throughout its length. The dam, however, cannot be operated to control flood flows. An incidental benefit derived from the pool formed by the dam is the availability of a source of municipal and industrial water.

Hannibal Locks and Dam

Aerial view of Hannibal Locks and DamP.O. Box 8
Hannibal, OH 43931-0008
740-483-2305

Hannibal Locks and Dam is one of six major river facilities on the upper Ohio River. An observation platform and visitors facility are at the lock site. The visitors center includes a unique wicket dam and maneuver boat depicting the history of navigation on the Ohio River. The area adjacent to the visitors area includes a public day-use area with picnic tables, grills, a shelter, parking areas and restroom facilities.


Location
Hannibal Locks and Dam lies on the right descending bank in Monroe County, Ohio. The locks are directly across from the town of New Martinsville, W.Va. A private hydropower facility is located on the abutment side of the dam in New Martinsville. The project can be reached either by following Ohio Route 7 or by following Route 2 on the West Virginia side, across the bridge in New Martinsville.

History
Construction of the Hannibal lock chambers began in 1967 and was completed in 1972 when the locks were opened to river traffic. Work on the high-lift gated dam began in 1970 and was completed in 1975. The installation replaced three older wicket-type projects, Locks and Dams 12, 13 and 14.

Project Information
The Hannibal project has a gated dam, one of the two major types in service in the Pittsburgh District. Gated dams are constructed to permit increased control over the water level in the navigation pool upriver of the dam. Machinery mounted on tall concrete piers moves large chains which lift gates that are hinged into the body of the piers. As the gates are raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing under them, the upstream pool is maintained at a relatively constant level for an authorized depth of at least 9 feet throughout its length. The dam, however, cannot be operated to control flood flows. An incidental benefit derived from the pool formed by the dam is the availability of a source of municipal and industrial water.