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News Story Archive

Clearing Ice at Greenup Locks and Dam

By Brian Maka

LRH

Published Jan. 3, 2018

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Ensuring the uninterrupted flow of navigation traffic can sometimes be a challenge in the winter when ice forms in the pool above the locks and dam.

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Ensuring the uninterrupted flow of navigation traffic can sometimes be a challenge in the winter when ice forms in the pool above the locks and dam. When ice becomes a problem, the locks and dam staff employ a technique that has proven effective in clearing ice and other debris. They raise the emergency gate, open the upstream miter gates. They then open the downstream miter gates and begin lowering the emergency gate. This causes the water to rush through the chamber, breaking up the ice and flushing it out downstream.