The Walla Walla District has closed navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers beginning Jan. 14 at 6 a.m. for an eleven-week outage. This extended outage will allow the district to perform routine maintenance and to replace aged equipment to reduce the risk of asset failure. Officials plan to close the Ice Harbor navigation lock Feb. 26, at 6 a.m. and return it to service by March 22, at 11:59 p.m.

Ice Harbor Lock and Dam boasts some of the most cutting-edge hydropower technology in the world. Two advanced technology turbines currently sit in the powerhouse, with a third one on the way. These new turbines were designed to improve fish passage and generate electricity more efficiently.

Today, McNary is an essential part of the river highway that was envisioned before the formation of the Walla Walla District. It sits as the midpoint, the last lock on the Columbia before the mouth of the Snake River. With its 14 generator units, McNary is also an incredible source of hydropower, capable of producing 980-megawatts or enough electricity to power about 686,000 homes.

In 1931, a torrent of brown water roared down Mill Creek, with water levels rising at a rate of one foot per hour. The water escaped the confines of the riverbanks and rushed through the City of Walla Walla, destroying homes, roads and bridges. Born in the wake of this disastrous event, the Mill Creek Project now stands to protect the city from floods like this.

The Walla Walla District constructs, operates, maintains, and secures multipurpose infrastructure to energize the economy, reduce flood risk, and serve as stewards of water resources for the Snake River Basin and the Nation.