Valley News Dispatch
1 November 2008
As usual, it takes an emergency to get critical funding for the lock and dam system on the Allegheny River.
Because of erosion, the base of Lock and Dam No. 6 in Armstrong County is at "high risk of failure", according to a spokesman.
As the executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh said, we have a "penny-wise and pound foolish" system of funding.
He said we should be making intelligent and annual maintenance on the lock system, but instead deal mainly with emergencies, which is risky to commerce and more expensive in the long run.
He's right, of course, and that's why we need our congressmen to fight for more stable funding.
Lock and Dam No. 6 is located between the Schenley Lock and Ford City on the Allegheny River.
If the dam collapses, all the water above the dam would drain below it and could flood areas.
In addition, it would close the section of the river north of Lock and Dam No. 4 in Natrona to commercial traffic.
Luckily, this is not a busy time of the year for those locks. Most commercial shipments, such as barges of coal or salt, are made by appointment. The vast majority of boats using these locks are recreational boaters.
The Army Corps of Engineers operates them and officials hope to have repairs made to Lock No. 6 by year's end.
The worst danger is big chucks of ice going over the dam or hitting the dam this winter and causing a collapse.
This system of locks and dams has prevented serious flooding along the Allegheny and made the river more navigable during droughts. But they were built in the 1920 and 1930s.
Are we going to wait until a tragedy occurs to put in place a logical plan to repair and replace these dams?