News Release
| Release Number: | 02-186 |
| Dated: | 11/18/2002 |
| Contact: | Public Affairs Office, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.-River traffic is temporarily delayed at the John Day Dam navigation lock on the Columbia River while the upstream gate and cables are repaired, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official.
A break in the cables that raise and lower the upstream gate occurred early Saturday morning, causing the hefty 20-foot tall, 100-ton gate to settle into its gate slot where it remains resting on its supports, said Brian Schmidtke, navigation lock coordinator. "It initially appears that one or more of the cables that lift the gate may have rusted from the inside," he said.
Commercial and recreational river users will need to allow from two to three hours to lock through, more than double the time needed when the gate is fully operational. Project personnel must maneuver a floating bulkhead into position for each lockage to enable water to empty and fill the lock chamber.
"The lock can be safely operated without the gate by using the floating bulkhead," said Schmidtke. "It just takes longer." Lock operators are working closely with all river users to coordinate the timing of upstream and downstream lockages to increase the efficiency of each lock-through, he said.
"It's too early to predict when we'll be back to normal service," said Schmidtke. "We're still assessing the extent of repairs needed." He expects at least one short-term lock closure in the near future to allow for a thorough inspection of the entire gate. The upstream gate and cables were last replaced in 1991.