Recreational vessels going through the Ballard Locks may have to wait longer than usual to get through due to falling water levels in the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) district water management officials have requested that the lock operators prioritize using the small lock for boat traffic to minimize the amount of water lost through the locking process.
Nicole Celestine from the USACE says the wait time for recreational boaters could be up to an hour depending on the time of day. The operators will pack as many vessels into the small lock as possible to keep things moving, but preference will be given to commercial vessels.
“Because we are in a drought, we have to try to conserve as much water as possible,” Celestine told My Ballard.
The USACE’s water level graph for the Lake Washington Ship Canal is trending downwards as shown in the chart below.
Photo: Ballard Locks
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