South Florida - Monday August 28, 2023: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened locks along the Okeechobee Waterway Monday morning at 7 a.m. to allow Safe Harbor passage of vessels ahead of Idalia's landfall late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning.
The locks will be open until 10 p.m. to support safe harbor passage. The lock operations will end 8 hours prior to landfall and they will be locked into a secure position.
It's important that all vessels are at their intended destination before passage across the waterway has been suspended.
Mooring of vessels to Corps structures during the storm is not permitted.
For Lock Operator safety, the locks will:
1. Stop locking vessels or working outdoors if lightning is observed within five miles of the lock, and operations will not resume until lightning has not been seen in the area for 30 minutes.
2. Stop locking vessels when winds exceed 35 MPH.
After a storm, it could be days or weeks before the waterway is reopened, depending on damage to structures and how quickly debris creating navigation hazards can be removed. When locking is resumed, it will be at the site’s normal locking hours: Okeechobee Waterway Locks from 7 AM to 5 PM, Canaveral Harbor Lock 6 AM to 9:30 PM.
For up-to-date Lock information, contact the shift operator at Okeechobee Waterway Locks from 7 AM to 5 PM
- St. Lucie Lock & Dam 772-287-2665
- Port Mayaca Lock & Dam 561-924-2858
- Moore Haven Lock & Dam 863-946-0414
- Ortona Lock & Dam 863-675-0616
- W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam 239-694-5451
Canaveral Harbor Lock 6 AM to 9:30 PM
- Canaveral Lock 321-783-5421