![]() They mark the river’s navigational channel. Navigating the Channel : Stay between red and green buoys. Locks 14 and 15 also utilize an auxiliary lock that is normally operated from approximately May through September. Locking Times: Mississippi River Locks in the Rock Island District normally operate from early March thru early December. Please wait for the operator's signal to release your line and exit the lock at a slow NO WAKE speed. When the pool reaches the proper level, the gates will be opened for your departure. The pool in the lock chamber will be raised or lowered 8.0 to 38 feet depending on which lock you are at in the Rock Island District. Your total time in the lock will be approximately 15 minutes. Obey all the instructions of the lock personnel. Air Horn Signals: Permission to leave the lock shall be indicated by the lock operator by one short blast.Simply take in or pay out line as the water level changes. Bring an adequate amount of line because not all locks provide lines. You are required to catch and tend a line while locking unless you are the only boat in the lock chamber.The lock personnel will direct you toward one of the lock walls. Proceed only when the signal light is green and enter the lock at a slow NO WAKE speed. The green signal means that you have been cleared to enter the lock chamber, unless you have been informed by the lock operator that you are required to yield to a commercial vessel. A yellow light means that the lock crew is getting the chamber ready for you. A red signal indicates that the lock is closed in your direction and you should wait for the lock operator to give you the green light before you proceed into the lock. ![]() Light Signals: Red, Yellow, and Green signal lights are located at both ends of the lock.Once you have made contact with lock personnel you will be instructed by traffic lights, and/or marine radio.Pull Ropes: Pull ropes/chains with talkback speaker to sound an alarm letting the lock operator know that you desire lockage, are provided near the end of the upstream and downstream lock guide wall and are found in a ladder recess.Calls are welcomed for safety concerns and general information. Lock personnel do not carry phones, only radios. Cell phone usage for lockages is cumbersome to the lock and does not expedite locking. Please keep in mind lock operators are very busy and are not always able to answer the phone. Cell Phone: Cell phones may be used to contact the lock when within sight of the lock.Lock personnel will also be better able to communicate changes of locking order on Channel 14. Do this well in advance of your arrival at the lock so that the passage of all vessels may be facilitated, and allow the operator time to prepare the lock. If your vessel is equipped with a two-way radio, please establish contact with the lock on VHF (FM) Channel 14. Radio: Is the preferred method of making contact with the lock on the Upper Mississippi River.There are several methods of communication with the lock personnel, as follows. If a delay is apparent, the vessel will be informed of the approximate length of the delay. Locking priority will be established as set forth in Navigation Notice 1, which is issued annually. The lock operator will advise vessels whether conditions permit it to approach the lock and moor alongside walls or whether it is to stay clear of the approach. As you approach a lock on the Upper Mississippi River you must inform the lock operators of your desire to pass and they, in turn, will indicate to you when it is safe to proceed into the lock. Do not wait in the path of a towboat leaving the lock. ![]() The marking of restricted areas may consist of signs, buoys, aids to navigation, and lights. Always wait and then approach the lock away from the posted restricted areas upstream and downstream of the dam. Operators must require all passengers to wear a coast guard approved life jacket. Locking Through : Safety is the prime consideration when locking any type of recreational vessel through a lock. Lock and Dam 13 is located near Fulton, Illinois, and is 522.5 miles above the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
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