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June 19, 2015

The Jonesville Lock & Dam

Entrance to Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

The Jonesville Lock and Dam was constructed in 1972 by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and is located in Catahoula Parish on highway 124 south of Jonesville.  This lock and dam is part of the Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project which began in 1902 and covers 337 miles of waterway from Camden, Arkansas to Jonesville, Louisiana.

Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

The Ouachita River originates in Polk County, Arkansas as a small stream in the Ouachita Mountains.  It travels south toward Hot Springs, Arkansas where it flows into Lake Ouachita before continuing its southward journey into Louisiana.  The Ouachita River joins the Tensas and Little Rivers at Jonesville where the Black River is then formed.  The Black River meets the Red River forty-one miles south of Jonesville.

Original Map from Ouachita River Foundation

The lock chambers are 84 feet wide and 600 feet long with five tainter gates.  Tainter gates are radial arm floodgates used to control water flow in dams and control locks.

A lift from 12-30 feet allows a minimum 9-foot deep and 100-foot wide navigation channel needed by barge traffic to travel from the Red River to Camden, Arkansas.

Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

Entering the Jonesville Lock and Dam area - May, 2015

Swollen Black River at Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

Bend in the River before heading south to Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

Swollen Black River at Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

Livestock on the banks of Black River at Jonesville Lock and Dam - May 2015

Recreational Area at Jonesville Lock and Dam - May, 2015

Exiting the Jonesville Lock and Dam area - May, 2015


Sources:
Ouachita River Foundation
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers


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