Kaskaskia Lock Guidewall Being Repaired

Members of the St. Louis Engineer District reported January 12 on its Kaskaskia River Project Facebook page that a portion of the guidewall at the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam had broken away from concrete pillars and slides that held them and was bulging outward.

The Kaskaskia River Project staff worked to free the guidewall and transport it through the lock upstream to the other guidewall to make the necessary repairs. Dredging then took place January 13.

“Navigation will continue” at the lock, the team said, but asked recreational boaters, as well towboats and barges planning to transit the lock, to give ample notice so they can move equipment around as needed.

A picture of the bulging guide wall was posted on the Facebook page January 12. “We appreciate everyone’s hard work today and the days to come,” the team posted.

The Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam is the only lock on the Kaskaskia River, and it is located right at the river’s mouth where it joins the Mississippi River in southern Illinois. The Kaskaskia River Basin encompasses parts or all of 22 Illinois counties, with 30 main tributaries and 5,840 square miles of drainage. It is a major tributary of the Mississippi River, with headwaters just west of Champaign, Ill., and flows southwesterly across the state for about 325 miles to its confluence with the Mississippi River about eight miles north of Chester at Mile 117.