Willamette Falls Locks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Willamette Falls Locks are locks which allow traffic on the Willamette River to navigate beyond Willamette Falls. They opened in 1873-01-01 as the first multi lift navigation locks in the U.S. and have been in continuous use ever since. The National Register of Historic Places listed them in 1974 as structure #74001680. It is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and passage through the locks is free for both commercial and recreational boats.

There are 7 gates in four chambers which lift up to 50 feet (15.5 m) elevation change (depending on tides and river flow) with a usable width of 37 feet (11.2 m). The system is 3565 feet (1087 m) long. It can accommodate vessels up to 175 feet (53.3 m) long.