Port Mayaca Lock and Dam
Encyclopedia
The Port Mayaca Lock is a navigable lock
and dam
on the Okeechobee Waterway
(St. Lucie Canal), adjacent to U.S. Route 441
and U.S. Route 98
at Canal Point, in Martin County
, Florida
, United States
.
It is located near Port Mayaca at latitude 26° 59" 5', longitude -80° 37" 5'.
Port Mayaca Lock is open daily from 6:00am to 9:30pm.
The total cost of construction was $13.1 million.
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 14800 cuft/s.
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
and dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Okeechobee Waterway
Okeechobee Waterway
The Okeechobee Waterway is a man-made waterway stretching from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on the east coast of Florida. It was built/finished in 1937 to provide a water route across Florida, allowing boats to pass east–west across the state rather than travelling the long route around...
(St. Lucie Canal), adjacent to U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441 in Florida
U.S. Route 441 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia border north of the Lake City area....
and U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98 is an east–west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida and Apalachicola, Florida, and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida...
at Canal Point, in Martin County
Martin County, Florida
Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is located near Port Mayaca at latitude 26° 59" 5', longitude -80° 37" 5'.
Port Mayaca Lock is open daily from 6:00am to 9:30pm.
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.Technical information
The lock chamber is 56 feet (17.1 m) wide by 400 feet (121.9 m) long, and 14 feet (4.3 m) deep. The lift distance between the St. Lucie Canal and Lake Okeechobee is normally 1/2 to 2 foot (0.6096 m). The channel width is 100 feet (30.5 m), and 8 feet (2.4 m) 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 14800 cuft/s.
See also
- List of reservoirs and dams in Florida