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Pike Island keeps commerce flowing

PASSING THROUGH — A Consol Energy towboat carries coal through the Pike Island Locks and Dam on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. - Contributed

WHEELING — It’s hard to imagine the Ohio River as a barren wasteland, but without the Pike Island Locks and Dam, the river would likely dry up on hot summer days.

The dam, part of a system of locks and dams up and down the river, constantly maintains the water level so that even in times of extremely low water, commerce keeps flowing. Employees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keep the locks and dam operational around the clock so barges carrying all types of materials crucial to Upper Ohio Valley industry can keep traveling.

“Years ago, we never had the locks and dams and the rivers would actually dry up during the summer months,” Pike Island Lockmaster Dale Hastings said. “The locks and dams were put in place to create river pools so they can maintain a pool for navigation and travel year-round because cargo is a big industry. … We’re a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week navigation facility.”

Hastings said most of those cargo ships carry coal, but Pike Island sees a plethora of different goods.

“Just about everything comes through here — grain, coal, steel, jet fuel and crude oil. You name it, it pretty much comes through. We see thousands of tons of cargo every day,” Hastings said.

The Pike Island Lock opened in 1963 after four years of construction, while the dam opened in 1965. Positioned on the West Virginia side of the river along state Route 2 just north of Warwood in the Pittsburgh District, Pike Island has two locks — one 600 feet in length while the longer, primary chamber is 1,200 feet long. Both are 110 feet wide.

When a tow boat approaches, the lock gate lowers and the boat enters. The lock then either fills with water or drains water, depending on which way the boat is traveling, so it is brought up or down to the same level as the river. Then, the second gate lowers and the boat exits.

A single tow boat pushes 15 barges, which amounts to 22,500 tons of cargo. Pike Island can complete the entire process of locking a huge tow boat in about an hour.

The coal carried through the lock and the water controlled by the dam are crucial to keeping the lights on throughout the Ohio Valley.

“All of our power plants up and down the river use the water to generate power,” Hastings said. “The coal moves to the power plants that generate the heat with the coal. They use water from the river to generate steam to turn the turbines.”

At the end of the process, the water is cleaned and released back into the river.

This river also provides drinking water and water for sewage pumps to the local municipalities, and the engineers at Pike Island help ensure that it is clean. They were the first to alert the city of an outbreak of blue-green algae last summer.

The locks and dam are also crucial to recreation on the Ohio River. Hastings said that the lock also lets through pleasure boaters and fishermen, and it is not uncommon for them to see between 40 and 50 anglers a day. That area of the river is rife with smallmouth bass and catfish.

In addition to attracting fishermen, the locks and dam serve as a landmark for bikers taking a ride up the river.

While many know of the locks and dam’s industrial and recreational uses, Hastings said many hold a misconception about its main purpose.

“The locks and dams pretty much control the pool of water, but we cannot control flooding. People say we’re a flood control, but that’s not necessarily true. Our main purpose is navigation,” said Hastings.

While other dams in downstate West Virginia can release and intake water from surrounding lakes to control flooding, the Pike Island dam can only control the flow of water upstream. But it still has the power to be a centerpiece of river life, for industrial barges and recreational fishing boats alike.

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