Melvin Price Locks and Dam is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

and two

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

s at

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle road ...

200.78 on the Upper

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, about north of

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

. The collocated , explains the structure and its engineering.

Background

Construction began in 1979, the main lock opened in 1990, and the full structure was completed in 1994. It replaced the earlier Lock and Dam No. 26, demolished in 1990, and is the first replacement structure on the

Upper Mississippi River The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River. History In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...

nine-foot navigation project. The main lock is long and wide; the auxiliary is long and wide. The main lock has a vertical lift gate and a miter gate while the aux. lock has two miter gates. The dam is long with 9

tainter gate The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter. A side view of a Tainter gate resembles a slice of pie with the c ...

s, each wide by high. It is named after

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Congressman Charles Melvin Price.

Gallery

File:Melvin Price Locks and Dam.jpg, Annotated image of the lock and dam File:Melvin Price Dam.jpg, Dam and locks from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

shore File:MPLD - P7100180.JPG, Close-up of the gates on the Melvin Price Lock & Dam File:Lock and dam 26.png

References

External links

Melvin Price Locks and Dam - U.S. Army Corps of EngineersNational Great Rivers Museum (USACE)U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office
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Hydroacoustic Identification and Sampling of Fish Aggregations in Tailwater Areas (2005 Monitoring Report – Fish Passage Melvin Price Locks and Dam, Alton, Illinois and Lock and Dam 22, Saverton, Missouri)Map of Melvin Price Locks and Dam area
{{Locks and dams of the Upper Mississippi River, before= Lock and Dam No. 25, after= Chain of Rocks Lock Dams in Illinois Buildings and structures in Madison County, Illinois Mississippi River locks Buildings and structures in St. Charles County, Missouri Dams in Missouri United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Transport infrastructure completed in 1990 Historic American Engineering Record in Illinois Historic American Engineering Record in Missouri Gravity dams Dams on the Mississippi River Mississippi Valley Division Transportation buildings and structures in Madison County, Illinois Locks of Illinois Locks of Missouri