Starved Rock Lock & Dam - IL Waterway (North Utica, IL)
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 19.465 W 088° 59.180
16T E 333763 N 4576674
Lock & Dam at Starved Rock. I was lucky to be there when a barge was being let through. They have a very nice Visitor Center so seeing and learning about the lock & dam is very easy. Also see waymark WM3F0Z.
Waymark Code: WM3GAF
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/02/2008
Views: 62
The Illinois Waterway system consists of 336 miles of water from the mouth of the Chicago River to the mouth of the Illinois River at Grafton, Illinois. It is a system of rivers, lakes, and canals which provide a shipping connection from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. A series of seven locks control water flows from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River system. Primary shipped cargoes are coal to powerplants, chemicals and petroleum upstream and corn and soybeans downstream primarily for export through New Orleans.
This particular dam is 1300 feet wide across the river and has a difference of about nineteen feet between the upstream and downstream sides. It is a tainter gate dam, which is somewhat like a seesaw. The huge dam gate is balanced by a counterweight and it can be raised or lowered to keep the water level at the desired nine feet depth. It is a navigation dam and is not designed to control flooding.
Waterway where the dam is located: Illinois Waterway
Main use of the Water Dam: Improve Navigation
Material used in the structure: masonry
Date built: 01/01/1933
Fishing Allowed: no
Motor Sports Allowed: yes
Height of Dam: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of the Dam and a description of your visit.