The Port Mayaca Lock is a navigable

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

and

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

on the

Okeechobee Waterway The Okeechobee Waterway or Okeechobee Canal is a relatively shallow artificial waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on Florida's east coast. The waterway can support tows such as ba ...

( St. Lucie Canal), adjacent to U.S. Route 441 and U.S. Route 98 at Canal Point, in Martin County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is located near Port Mayaca at latitude 26° 59" 5', longitude -80° 37" 5'. Port Mayaca Lock is open daily from 7:00am to 5:00pm. New Lock hour as of 1 April 2015. The total cost of construction was $13.1 million.

Purpose

This structure was created to help raise the water level in the lake, for the purpose of retaining fresh water for agricultural use, city water supply, and for navigation. It also serves for regulating flood control water into the Everglades during hurricane season. When polluted lake water is released into the C-44 St. Lucie Canal, the water carries or can spawn algae blooms that release

cyanotoxins Cyanotoxins are toxins produced by cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria are found almost everywhere, but particularly in lakes and in the ocean where, under high concentration of phosphorus conditions, they reproduce exp ...

that may cause nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, coughing, shortness of breath, and achy limbs and joints. Some suspect that small pets have been killed by this airborne toxin.

Technical information

The lock chamber is wide by long, and deep. The lift distance between the St. Lucie Canal and Lake Okeechobee is normally 1/2 to . The channel width is , and deep. The lock gates are "sector gates" (pie-slice shaped), and are made of steel. The spillway is ogee-type concrete, with 4 vertical lift gates. The discharge capacity is .

Radio channel

This lock operates on

Marine VHF radio Marine VHF radio is a worldwide system of two way radio transceivers on ships and watercraft used for bidirectional voice communication from ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore (for example with harbormasters), and in certain circumstances ship-to-ai ...

channel 13.

Gallery

Image:Port Mayaca Lock and Dam 02.JPG, Boaters anchored lock wall as the canal-side gates close. Image:Port Mayaca Lock and Dam 04.JPG, Boater exits as canal-side gates closed behind and Lake Okeechobee lakeside gates opening. Image:Port Mayaca Lock and Dam - gates - 03.JPG, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer personnel overlooks the closing of the lakeside gates. Image:Port Mayaca Lock and Dam - view from lake 05.JPG, Canal 59 in the foreground and Control Structure S-191, which controls water flow into Lake Okeechobee.

References

External links

American Canal Society Report
Dams in Florida United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Transport infrastructure completed in 1977 Dams completed in 1977 1977 establishments in Florida Locks of Florida {{Florida-stub