Wallisville Locks back in operation to control salt water intrusion from Trinity Bay

By Ms. Sandra Arnold (USACE)May 24, 2012

WALLISVILLE, Texas (May 24, 2012) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District's Wallisville Lake Project staff closed the salt water barrier navigation lock this morning to impede salinity intrusion on the Trinity River. The Corps will open the lock every hour on the hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily if needed to allow recreational boaters to move up and down the river.

Lake Livingston has reduced its releases into the Trinity River making it necessary to implement controlled lock measures to regulate salinity levels to prevent salt water intrusion and protect fresh water intakes.

"We anticipate many recreational boaters will be on the water over the long weekend and would have liked to have been able to keep the barrier open," said Water Control Manager Charles Scheffler, Hydrology and Hydraulic/Water Control Branch at the USACE Galveston District. "We appreciate boaters' patience until we're able to return to routine operations."

Corps programs, such as the Wallisville Lake Project, support an array of nationally important environmental goals that include restoring ecosystem health; conserving and improving habitats for plants, fish and wildlife; protecting and restoring rare, threatened and endangered species; providing conservation and education; keeping the nation's waters clean; and achieving no overall net-loss of wetlands.

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