Dams, Rivers, Waterway Information

[Lorie Taylor]

Alittle info on the dams here in the area

Beartrap Dam, Romeoville (inbound from the S&S Canal)
140th Street and Des Plaines River
This drops into Des Plaines (which you're already on), no portage needed

Drops to 34 feet Coordinates 41 35.856N 88 03.938 W


Lockport Lock & Dam, Lockport
This lock is the only lock on the Illinois Waterway with dual straight drop gates at the upstream end and traditional mitered gates downstream. On the upstream side, they lower the gate several feet and let the water rush over the top instead of using pipes below water level. On the downstream side, the water runs through 6+ foot diameter pipes and is able to flush 22,000,000 gallons in 15 minutes when open full.



Dam Height 39 Feet



Brandon Lock & Dam, Rockdale
Just north of Brandon Road. View of the lock open, view of the lock closed.
I know of no way around this lock without waiting your turn to Lock thru it

Coordinates Drops to 34 Feet
41 30.210N
88 06.250W


Link to Page with all the Dams, Waterways, Lakes with Dams


pages.ripco.net/~jwn/dam.html#desplaines_river

[Lorie Taylor]

Dresden Lock & Dam, Will County
Lock is river left. An alternative to waiting for the lock is to portage river right before the dam to the I&M Canal to pass the dam. There are many places to re-enter the river, the easiest being Stratton State Park.

GPS Position Dam Height 21.75 Feet
41 23.945N
88 16.567W


Marseilles Dam, Marseilles
Easy to spot navigation dam with tall peaked bridge just past dam.
The dam is located on the main river channel, there is a channel on river left which has a lock about .5 miles away. Do not take small channel on river right as it runs thru a sluice to generate power.An alternative to waiting for the lock is to portage through Illini State Park on river left (but it's a long walk).


GPS Position Dam Height 24.25 Feet
41 19.310N
88 42.525W

[Lorie Taylor]

Very nice Marina Site, shows the waterways, and dams in the area. It has very nice pictures of Dresden Lock, and Brandon Lock Dams. Give you an idea of the area, and in color.

marinas.com/browse/lock/US/IL/