the film
forum
library
tutorial
contact
Economic and dam related articles

Bonneville Locks Damaged by Debris

by Craig Brown
The Columbian, March 18, 2011

Upstream gate damaged

Water spills over Bonneville Dam spillways on the Columbia River The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the locks at Bonneville Dam are damaged.

The locks recently reopened after a series of multimillion-dollar refits at Columbia and Snake River dams.

According to the corps, the upstream gate has been damaged, and will be closed until midnight Friday.

Once reopened, commercial and recreational traffic will have to be moved using alternative methods; the lockage will take three to six times longer than normal.

The gate was damaged during a routine operation to flush debris out of the upstream channel and through the lock. The top of the gate was exposed to high water pressure and buckled when drain valves pulling water into the lock failed to fully close.

The Corps is investigating the cause and extent of the damage to the gate. The nature and duration of needed repairs is not yet known.

The Corps expects to issue an update Monday.

Related Pages:
Extended Navigation Lock Outage US Army Corps of Engineers


Craig Brown
Bonneville Locks Damaged by Debris
The Columbian, March 18, 2011

See what you can learn

learn more on topics covered in the film
see the video
read the script
learn the songs
discussion forum
salmon animation