Navigation Dams in the United States
221Total
52High Hazard
124Significant
Navigation dams maintain water levels sufficient for boat and barge traffic on rivers. They're critical infrastructure for commercial shipping on rivers like the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Columbia. Most are operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and include lock systems that allow vessels to pass.
Navigation dams are among the most heavily engineered and closely monitored dams in the country, given their role in the nation's freight transportation network.
Navigation Dams by State
| State | Count | High Hazard | Tallest (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 56 | 28 | 106 |
| Kentucky | 19 | 2 | 157 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 0 | 105 |
| Illinois | 16 | 4 | 81 |
| Pennsylvania | 14 | 0 | 62 |
| West Virginia | 13 | 0 | 167 |
| Alabama | 11 | 2 | 120 |
| Iowa | 9 | 0 | 47 |
| Louisiana | 9 | 0 | 134 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 0 | 93 |
| Mississippi | 8 | 1 | 120 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 1 | 46 |
| Missouri | 6 | 0 | 76 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 1 | 84 |
| Washington | 5 | 5 | 226 |
| Florida | 4 | 2 | 92 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 0 | 25 |
| Oregon | 3 | 3 | 230 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 98 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| Indiana | 1 | 1 | 35 |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Texas | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 33 |
Largest Navigation Dams
| # | Dam | State | Height (ft) | Hazard | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Day Lock And Dam | Oregon | 230 | High | 1968 |
| 2 | Little Goose Lock And Dam | Washington | 226 | High | 1970 |
| 3 | Lower Monumental Lock And Dam | Washington | 226 | High | 1969 |
| 4 | Ice Harbor Lock And Dam | Washington | 208 | High | 1962 |
| 5 | The Dalles Lock And Dam | Oregon | 200 | High | 1957 |
| 6 | Bonneville Locks And Dam | Oregon | 197 | High | 1938 |
| 7 | Robert C. Byrd Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 167 | Significant | 1937 |
| 8 | Barkley Lock And Dam | Kentucky | 157 | High | 1966 |
| 9 | Captain Anthony Meldahl Locks And Dam | Kentucky | 138 | Significant | 1965 |
| 10 | Red River Lock And Dam 3 | Louisiana | 134 | Significant | 1991 |
| 11 | Belleville Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 130 | Significant | 1968 |
| 12 | Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 122 | Significant | 1985 |
| 13 | Jamie L. Whitten Lock And Dam | Mississippi | 120 | High | 1983 |
| 14 | Holt Lock And Dam | Alabama | 120 | High | 1968 |
| 15 | Markland Locks And Dam | Kentucky | 118 | Significant | 1964 |
| 16 | Willow Island Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 111 | Significant | 1976 |
| 17 | John Hollis Bankhead Lock And Dam | Alabama | 111 | High | 1975 |
| 18 | Winfield Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 110 | Significant | 1937 |
| 19 | Robert F. Henry Lock And Dam | Alabama | 110 | Significant | 1974 |
| 20 | Russell B. Long Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 110 | Significant | 1995 |
| 21 | Lindy Claiborne Boggs Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 110 | Significant | 1985 |
| 22 | Delta Dam | New York | 106 | High | 1912 |
| 23 | Felsenthal Lock And Dam | Arkansas | 105 | Significant | 1978 |
| 24 | John H. Overton Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 104 | Significant | 1987 |
| 25 | London Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 103 | Significant | 1934 |
| 26 | Marmet Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 101 | Significant | 1934 |
| 27 | Ozark-jetta Taylor Lock And Dam | Arkansas | 100 | Significant | 1969 |
| 28 | Racine Locks And Dam | West Virginia | 100 | Significant | 1971 |
| 29 | Old Hickory Lock And Dam | Tennessee | 98 | High | 1954 |
| 30 | Jonesville Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 94 | Significant | 1972 |
| 31 | St. Anthony Falls Upper Lock And Dam | Minnesota | 93 | Significant | 1963 |
| 32 | Jim Woodruff Lock And Dam | Florida | 92 | High | 1954 |
| 33 | Columbia Lock And Dam | Louisiana | 90 | Significant | 1970 |
| 34 | Webbers Falls Lock And Dam | Oklahoma | 84 | Significant | 1970 |
| 35 | John C. Stennis Lock And Dam | Mississippi | 82 | Significant | 1980 |
| 36 | Robert S. Kerr Lock And Dam | Oklahoma | 82 | High | 1970 |
| 37 | Jerry F. Costello Lock And Dam | Illinois | 81 | Significant | 1974 |
| 38 | Claiborne Lock And Dam | Alabama | 80 | Significant | 1971 |
| 39 | H.k. Thatcher Lock And Dam | Arkansas | 80 | Significant | 1983 |
| 40 | Greenup Locks And Dam | Kentucky | 78 | Significant | 1962 |
| 41 | Murray Lock And Dam | Arkansas | 77 | Significant | 1969 |
| 42 | Melvin Price Locks And Dam | Illinois | 77 | Significant | 1990 |
| 43 | Mississippi River Lock And Dam 24 | Missouri | 76 | Significant | 1940 |
| 44 | Cheatham Lock And Dam | Tennessee | 75 | Significant | 1954 |
| 45 | Mississippi River Lock And Dam 25 | Missouri | 75 | Significant | 1939 |
| 46 | Tom Bevill Lock And Dam | Alabama | 75 | Significant | 1979 |
| 47 | A.i. Selden Lock And Dam | Alabama | 71 | Significant | 1958 |
| 48 | W.d. Mayo Lock And Dam | Oklahoma | 71 | Significant | 1970 |
| 49 | Deruyter Dam | New York | 68 | High | 1863 |
| 50 | Wilbur D. Mills Lock And Dam | Arkansas | 68 | Significant | 1967 |