Chicago Harbor Lock
 | |
| Waterway | Chicago River |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook County |
| Maintained by | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| Operation | Hydraulic |
| First built | 1938 |
| Latest built | 2011 |
| Length | 600 ft (180 m) |
| Width | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft (0.61 to 1.52 m) |
| Above sea level | 582 ft (177 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 41°53′18″N 87°36′23″W / 41.8884°N 87.6064°WCoordinates: 41°53′18″N 87°36′23″W / 41.8884°N 87.6064°W |
The Chicago Harbor Lock is a pound lock located in Chicago, Illinois, separating Lake Michigan from the Chicago River.
Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lock was designed and built between 1936 and 1938 by the Sanitary District of Chicago as a component of the project to reverse the flow of the Chicago River and is one of two entrances from the Great Lakes to the Chicago Area Waterway System - the other entrance being the T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam on the Calumet River.
The lock chamber is 600 feet (180 m) long, 80 feet (24 m) wide, and 22 feet (6.7 m) deep and can accommodate up to 100 vessels at once. The lock requires 12–15 minutes to cycle through a typical water-level difference of two to five feet (0.61 to 1.52 m). Water level is controlled via gravity through partially opened lock gates.
The Chicago Harbor Lock is the fourth-busiest lock in the nation for commercial use and the second-busiest in the nation for recreational use.[2]
Lock Navigation:
(1) All communication with the lock is done on vhf channel 14.
(2) Upon opening priority is (Red Light) Military only (Yellow Light) Commercial Vessels (Green Light) Recreation
(3) ALL parties must have life vests on upon entering the lock and engines must remain on.
(4) NO WAKE idle speed only.
(5) Follow the instructions of the army Corp. try to stay as far away from the gate opening as possible for lowest current
(6) HOLD ON! to the ropes. Do not let go or bad things will happen.
(7) Wait for the horn to signal all is clear. Push off and go!
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Great Lakes Water Level Observations". NOAA. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Chicago Harbor Lock" (PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
External links[]
Media related to Chicago Harbor Lock at Wikimedia Commons
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