Lock and Dam No. 27

Lock and Dam No. 27
Name	Lock and Dam No. 27
Location	near Granite City, Illinois / St. Louis, Missouri
Country	United States
River	Mississippi River
Operator	United States Army Corps of Engineers
Type	Lock and dam complex
Opened	1938
Reservoir	Pool 27

Lock and Dam No. 27 is a major river control and navigation facility on the Mississippi River located near Granite City, Illinois and downstream of St. Louis, Missouri. Constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Nine-Foot Channel project, it created Pool 27 and provided a lock chamber to maintain a navigable channel for commercial traffic. The complex has influenced regional trade corridors including links to the Ohio River, the Missouri River, and the Illinois River, while intersecting the transportation networks of Interstate 55, U.S. Route 66, and the American Bottoms floodplain.

History

The site selection and authorization for the facility were shaped by legislation such as the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930 and the broader navigation improvements advocated by engineers associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District. Planning reflected concerns raised after major floods, including the Great Flood of 1927, which prompted federal investment in flood control and navigation infrastructure. Construction began during the era of the New Deal when public works projects like those overseen by the Public Works Administration and contractors linked to industrial centers such as St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois were common. Operations commenced in the late 1930s, and the site later intersected transportation policy debates addressed in hearings of the United States Congress and the House Committee on Public Works.

Design and Specifications

The complex was designed by engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers using standards promulgated by the Mississippi River Commission. The lock chamber dimensions met the Nine-Foot Channel project specifications to accommodate tows serving ports such as New Orleans, Memphis, Tennessee, Baton Rouge, and Cairo, Illinois. Structural materials were sourced from regional industries tied to Bethlehem Steel, Kaiser Steel, and steelworks in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Mechanical components included gates and valves consistent with technologies used at contemporaneous projects like Lock and Dam No. 15 and Lock and Dam No. 22. Electrical systems and control houses reflected standards seen in federal works of the 1930s and later retrofits during the eras of the Interstate Highway System expansion and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act amendments that influenced infrastructure upgrades.

Construction and Operation

Construction involved firms and labor organizations active during the Great Depression, with oversight by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division and coordination with regional authorities including Madison County, Illinois and St. Clair County, Illinois. The workforce included veterans of projects funded by the Works Progress Administration and contractors with prior experience on projects like the Burlington Rail Bridge and river terminals serving St. Louis. Operational control has remained with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coordinating with inland waterway stakeholders such as the American Waterways Operators, the National Corn Growers Association, and major barge operators based in Paducah, Kentucky and Memphis. Routine maintenance cycles align with federal asset management practices and involve coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for water level information and the United States Geological Survey for hydrologic monitoring.

Navigation and Economic Impact

By creating Pool 27, the facility facilitated year-round navigation for barge traffic moving grain from Midwestern United States terminals in Peoria, Illinois and St. Louis to export hubs at New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. The lock supported bulk commodities chains for soybeans, corn, coal from Appalachia, petroleum products linked to refineries in the Gulf Coast, and manufactured goods to and from the Chicago metropolitan area and the Twin Cities. Its presence affected industries in Madison County, Illinois, St. Louis County, Missouri, and river ports such as Hannibal, Missouri and Caruthersville, Missouri. Economic analyses performed by agencies like the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Department of Transportation have tied inland waterway capacity at this site to supply chains for agriculture, energy, and manufacturing tied to firms headquartered in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Chicago.

Environmental and Ecological Effects

The creation of Pool 27 altered riverine habitats studied by researchers from institutions including Saint Louis University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Changes affected migratory patterns of species monitored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and impacted wetlands within the American Bottoms and adjacent floodplain restoration projects associated with the Confluence Greenway. Environmental reviews have referenced statutes administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Environmental Policy Act, and mitigation efforts have involved partnerships with conservation NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy and regional programs led by the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association.

Incidents and Modifications

Over decades the complex has undergone repairs and modifications after incidents including extreme flood events similar to the Great Flood of 1993 and collisions involving tows documented by the U.S. Coast Guard. Emergency responses have involved the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Missouri River Recovery Program, and local emergency management agencies in St. Louis County. Upgrades have included mechanical refurbishments funded through Congressional appropriations debated in hearings of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and capital works coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District. Notable retrofit campaigns echoed modernization efforts at other facilities like Lock and Dam No. 26 and incorporated lessons from incidents affecting locks on the Upper Mississippi River and the Ohio River system.

Category:Mississippi River locks and dams Category:United States Army Corps of Engineers