Columbia-Snake winter navigation lock schedule begins Sept. 15

COLUMBIA-SNAKE RIVERS, Ore. & Wash. -- Beginning Saturday, Sept. 15, recreational boaters can lock past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers almost any time during daylight hours, according to Corps navigation planners. Commercial vessels will have precedence, and recreational vessels may be allowed to lock through with commercial craft at the discretion of the lockmaster.
Corps dams with locks along the lower Columbia River include John Day Dam, near Rufus, Oregon; The Dalles Dam, near The Dalles, Oregon; Bonneville Dam, near Cascade Locks, Oregon; and McNary Dam, near Umatilla, Oregon.
Dams with locks along the lower Snake River include Ice Harbor Dam, near Burbank, Washington; Lower Monumental Dam, near Kahlotus, Washington; Little Goose Dam, near Starbuck, Washington; and Lower Granite Dam, near Pomeroy, Washington.
The winter lockage schedule applies to all eight Corps dams along the Columbia-Snake river navigation system.
The winter lockage schedule will remain in effect until May 15, 2019. Lockages will be considered for flotillas or other organized events sponsored by yacht clubs, marinas and other groups, provided 24-hour advance arrangements are made with the appropriate location. Call to schedule special lockages:

 Everyone in the vessel must be wearing a personal floatation devise throughout the duration of the lockage. All vessel owners and operators lock through at their own risk and must comply with the Corps’ safe-lockage policy. Vessel operators should read the Corps brochure "How to Lock Through" https://go.usa.gov/xQNnZ to be familiar with lockage rules and processes.
The Corps’ Portland and Walla Walla districts maintain about 350 miles of the federal inland navigation channel from Portland, Ore. to Lewiston, Idaho. About 9-million tons of commercial cargo, valued around $3 billion, is transported through the lock system each year, according to navigation industry data. The Columbia-Snake navigation system is part of a larger waterborne commerce system that is vital to the economic health of the Pacific Northwest. This import/export gateway allows river transport 465 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean to Lewiston, Idaho.
Portland District’s navigation information is online at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation.
Walla Walla District’s recreational vessel lockage information is online at www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation.aspx.
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