The Postcard
A postally unused Natural Color post card that was published in the USA by the E. C. Kropp Co. of Milwaukee, Wis.
The card, which was printed in the United States, was distributed by the Olympia News Agency of Olympia, Washington.
The card has a divided back on which is printed:
"The Canal Locks are at the Puget Sound
entrance to the canal, connecting it and
Lake Washington, and adding more than
90 miles to Seattle's water frontage.
The canal is about 8 miles long with a
right of way 300 feet wide, a channel
100 feet wide, and a depth of 36 feet.
The major chamber is 825 feet long,
80 feet wide, and holds a depth of
80 feet of water.
The minor chamber is 150 feet long and
30 feet wide.
The locks are capable of lifting larger
vessels than any government locks
excepting the Panama Canal. The total
cost of the canal was $5,000,000, borne
by the government, state, county, and
city."
The Ballard Locks
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south.
The Ballard Locks carry more boat traffic than any other lock in the United States, and the locks, along with the fish ladder and the surrounding Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens, attract more than one million visitors annually, making it one of Seattle's top tourist attractions.
The construction of the locks profoundly re-shaped the topography of Seattle and the surrounding area, lowering the water level of Lake Washington and Lake Union by 8.8 feet (2.7 m), adding miles of new waterfront land, reversing the flow of rivers, and leaving piers in the eastern half of Salmon Bay high and dry.
The locks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and have been designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Prior to Construction
As early as 1854 there was discussion of building a navigable connection between Lake Washington and Puget Sound for the purpose of transporting logs, milled lumber, and fishing vessels. Thirteen years later, the United States Navy endorsed a canal project, which included a plan for building a naval shipyard on Lake Washington.
In 1891 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started planning the project. Some preliminary work was begun in 1906, and work began in earnest five years later under the command of Hiram M. Chittenden.
The delays in canal planning and construction resulted in the US Navy building the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, which is located across the Sound from Seattle.
Construction of the Locks
In early 1909, the Washington State Legislature appropriated $250,000, placed under the control of the Corps of Engineers, for excavation of the canal between Lake Union and Lake Washington.
In June 1910, the US Congress gave its approval for the lock, on the condition that the rest of the canals along the route be paid for locally. Construction was then delayed by legal challenges, mainly by mill owners in Ballard who feared property damage and loss of waterfront in Salmon Bay, and by Lake Washington property owners.
Under Major James. B. Cavanaugh, Chittenden's replacement as Seattle District Commander, construction of the Ballard, or Government, Locks connecting Salmon Bay to Shilshole Bay began in 1911, proceeding without further controversy or legal entanglements.
In July 1912, the lock gates were closed for the first time, turning Salmon Bay from saltwater to freshwater. The first ship passed through the locks on the 3rd. August 1916.
On the 25th. August 1916, the temporary dam at Montlake was breached. During the following three months, Lake Washington drained, lowering the water level by 8.8 ft (2.7 m) and drying up more than 1,000 acres (400 ha) of wetlands, as well as drying up the Black River and cutting off the Cedar River salmon run.
The Cedar River was rerouted into Lake Washington in order to provide sufficient water flow for operating the Locks. Additionally the White River was rerouted into the Puyallup River. The Cedar and White Rivers both originally flowed into the Duwamish, causing frequent flooding.
The rerouting of the rivers opened up huge lowland areas for development, but significantly disrupted the Duwamish salmon runs. To rectify this problem, salmon runs were reintroduced to facilitate migration through the locks.
The locks officially opened to boat traffic on the 8th. May 1917. The total cost of the project to that point was $3.5 million, with $2.5 million having come from the federal government, and the rest from local governments.
While generally a success, the locks were not without their problems. Salt water began to make its way upstream toward Lake Union, requiring a system of siphons and flushing mechanisms.
Because the Cedar River was the main water source both for the lakes and locks and for Seattle's potable water, at times there were problems maintaining an adequate water supply to maintain lake level and operate the locks.
Conversely, with several rivers redirected, flooding worsened throughout the watershed. This last problem was exacerbated by logging, and at times during storms the locks had to be opened just to allow water to flow out.
Function of the Locks
The locks and associated facilities serve three main purposes:
-- To maintain the water level of the fresh water Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20–22 feet (6.1–6.7 m) above sea level.
-- To prevent the mixing of sea water from Puget Sound with the fresh water of the lakes (saltwater intrusion).
-- To move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa.
The complex includes two locks, 30 ft × 150 ft (9.1 m × 45.7 m) (small) and 80 ft × 825 ft (24 m × 251 m) (large).
The complex also includes a 235 ft (72 m) spillway with six 32 ft × 12 ft (9.8 m × 3.7 m) gates to assist in water-level control. A fish ladder is integrated into the locks for migration of anadromous fish, notably salmon.
The grounds feature a visitors center, as well as the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens.
Operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the locks were formally opened on the 4th. July 1917, although the first ship had already passed through the locks 11 months earlier.
They were named after US Army Major Hiram M. Chittenden, the Seattle District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers from April 1906 to September 1908.
The complex includes two locks. Using the small lock when boat traffic is low conserves fresh water during summer, when the lakes receive less inflow. Having two locks also allows one of the locks to be drained for maintenance without blocking all boat traffic. The large lock is drained for approximately 2-weeks, usually in November, and the small lock is drained for about the same period, usually in March.
Drying out the chambers allows inspection and repair. After cleaning, the walls are painted.
The locks can elevate a 760-by-80-foot (232 m × 24 m) vessel 26 ft (7.9 m), from the level of Puget Sound at a very low tide to the level of freshwater Salmon Bay, in 10–15 minutes.
The locks handle both pleasure boats and commercial vessels, ranging from kayaks to fishing boats returning from the Bering Sea to cargo ships.
Over 1 million tons of cargo, fuel, building materials, and seafood products pass through the locks each year.
The Salt Water Barrier
If excessive salt water were allowed to migrate into Salmon Bay, the salt could eventually damage the freshwater ecosystem. To prevent this, a basin was dredged just above (east of) the large lock. The heavier salt water settles into the basin and drains through a pipe discharging downstream of the locks area.
In 1975, the saltwater drain was modified to divert some salt water from the basin to the fish ladder, where it is added via a diffuser to the fish ladder attraction water.
To further restrict saltwater intrusion, in 1966, a hinged barrier was installed just upstream of the large lock. This hollow metal barrier is filled with air to remain in the upright position, blocking the heavier salt water. When necessary to accommodate deep-draft vessels, the barrier is flooded and sinks to the bottom of the chamber.
The Fish Ladder
The fish ladder at the Chittenden locks is unique in being located where salt and fresh water meet. Normally, fish ladders are located entirely within fresh water.
Pacific salmon are anadromous; they hatch in lakes, rivers, and streams—or, nowadays fish hatcheries—migrate to sea, and only at the end of their life return to fresh water to spawn.
Prior to the locks' construction, no significant salmon runs existed here, as there was only a small drainage stream from Lake Union into Salmon Bay.
In order to provide enough water to operate the Locks, Cedar River was rerouted into Lake Washington. Cedar and White Rivers did support significant salmon runs, but also created severe flooding conditions for the early settlers.
The rerouting of these two major rivers was a mixed blessing - while reducing flood threats, the Duwamish River salmon runs were decimated. To rectify this situation, salmon runs were rerouted through the locks, which included introducing a major run of Sockeye Salmon using stock from Baker River, Washington.
The ladder was designed to use attraction water: fresh water flowing swiftly out the bottom of the fish ladder, in the direction opposite to that which anadromous fish migrate at the end of their lives.
However, the attraction water from this first ladder was not effective. Instead, most salmon used the locks. This made them an easy target for predators; also, many were injured by hitting the walls and gates of the locks, or by hitting boat propellers.
The Corps rebuilt the fish ladder in 1976 by increasing the flow of attraction water and adding more weirs: most weirs are now one foot higher than the previous one. The old fish ladder had only 10 "steps"; the new one has 21.
A diffuser well mixes salt water gradually into the last 10 weirs. As a part of the rebuilding, the Corps also added an underground chamber with a viewing gallery.
The fish approaching the ladder smell the attraction water, recognizing the scent of Lake Washington and its tributaries. They enter the ladder, and either jump over each of the 21 weirs, or swim though tunnel-like openings. They exit the ladder into the fresh water of Salmon Bay.
They continue following the waterway to the lake, river, or stream where they were born. Once there, the females lay eggs, which the males fertilize. Most salmon die shortly after spawning.
The offspring remain in the fresh water until they are ready to migrate to the ocean as smolts. In a few years, the surviving adults return, climb the fish ladder, and reach their spawning ground to continue the life cycle.
Of the millions of young fish born, only a relative few survive to adulthood. Causes of death include natural predators, commercial and sport fishing, disease, low stream flows, poor water quality, flooding, and concentrated developments along streams and lakes.
Visitors to the locks can observe the salmon through windows as they progress along their route. Although the viewing area is open year-round, the "peak" viewing time is during spawning season, from about the beginning of July through mid-August.
A public art work, commissioned by the Seattle Arts Commission, provides literary interpretation of the experience through recordings of Seattle poet Judith Roche's "Salmon Suite," a sequence of five poems tied to the annual migratory sequence of the fish.