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Emsworth Locks and Dam
0 Western Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15202-1708
412-766-6213
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Emsworth Locks and Dams is one of
six major river facilities on the Ohio River. 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.
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.
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 550 commercial lockages
every month, plus another 350-400 lockages of pleasure craft during
the busy summer months.
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