Satellite view of the Chicago Harbor Lock separating the Chicago River (left) from Lake Michigan (right). The west gate is open and the east gate is closed putting the lock chamber at the level of the river.View towards lock from one of Chicago's high-rises, with the Outer Drive Bridge in the foreground
The lock chamber is 600 feet (180 m) long, 80 feet (24 m) wide, and 22 feet (6.7 m) deep and can accommodate up to 100 vessels at once. It contains two pair of 30 feet (9.1 m) tall sector gates.[4] The lock requires 12–15 minutes to cycle through a typical water-level difference of two to five feet (0.61 to 1.52 m).[2] Water level is controlled via gravity by partially opening and closing the lock gates.
The controlling works contains eight sluice gates along its piers, each measuring 10 feet (3.0 m) x 10 feet (3.0 m), allowing water from Lake Michigan into the river for navigational and sanitation purposes during normal weather operations, and for allowing water out of the swollen river into the lake during heavy rainfall periods as a measure of last resort for flood control purposes.[2][4]
The Chicago Harbor Lock is the fourth-busiest lock in the nation for commercial use and the second-busiest in the nation for recreational use.[5]
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