Ohio River Lock Fails; Shipping Halts

River levels were surging at thetime when a major lock failed along a portion of the Ohio River, which causednavigation along the major shipping waterway to grind to a halt.Following more than 5 inches of rain in the past week, the lock failed at theMarkland Dam along the Indiana/Kentucky border, northeast of Louisville.

According to officials, one of the downstream gates fell into the river.

Locks are giant rooms that allow water levels to be raised or lowered withinthe room, once the large doors at both ends of the room are securely closed.

The locks remove white water stretches of a river, where rapid changes inelevation occur. The locks allow vessels to travel safely upstream ordownstream through these areas.After Saturday's gauge reading of about 13 feet at Markland Dam, river levelssoared to more than 21 feet on Sunday, the highest they have been since Aug. 6.

These levels are all well below flood stage, but the sudden increase in waterlevels means the river flow rate increased dramatically as well.

Since Aug. 1, Louisville, Ky., has reported more than 11 inches of rain, whileCincinnati, Ohio, reported 6.61 inches.

Doppler radar estimates show that more than 5 inches of rain fell in the pastseven days across southern Ohio and along the Ohio River. Louisville, Ky., hasreported 5.91 inches of rain so far this month, well above-normal rainfall forthe entire month of September.

A small auxiliary lock has been set up to keep some traffic flowing. However,the small lock cannot handle the large volume of traffic in the region.

Fifty million tons of cargo pass through the Markland Dam every year.

Coal is one of the products shipped through the area. The coal fuels electricpower plants along the river.

A public policy organization gave the lock a "D" or unreliable rating earlylast year. The lock was scheduled for renovations in 2011, according to an ArmyCorps of Engineers spokesman.

It is not known when the main lock at the site will be in operation.