Locking Requirements for Safety

Safety is the prime consideration when locking any type of vessel through a lock.

The lock operator has full authority over the movement of boats in the lock and its approaches.

Operators must require all passengers to wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket and turn off engines.
 

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ BEFORE LOCKING THROUGH:
Notice to Navigation: 2019-001 Canaveral and Okeechobee Lock Procedures

 

Locking Through SAFELY Pamphlet

Safety in Locking Through Pamphlet    Safety In Locking Through Pamphlet Back Side

The Story of the Julian Keen, Jr. Lock and Dam

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Renames Moore Haven Lock and Dam to Honor Fallen FWC Officer Julian Keen, Jr.
Read the News Release

Fallen FWC Officer Julian Keen, Jr.

Julian Keen, Jr. Lock & Dam

Moore Haven LockThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers welcomes you to the Julian Keen, Jr.  Lock & Dam (formerly known as the Moore Haven Lock and Dam), located on the west side of Lake Okeechobee at the junction with the Caloosahatchee River. The Corps constructed and currently manages five locks along the 152-mile Okeechobee Waterway. Moore Haven Lock and Dam were constructed in 1935 for navigation and flood control purposes. Today it also serves as a recreational gateway to the second largest fresh water lake in the Continental United States, as well as one of the most bountiful fishing sites for sports fishing tournaments.

Facts

Waterway distances: 39 miles via open lake (route 1) and 50 miles via rim canal (route 2) to Port Mayaca Lock, 15.5 miles to Ortona Lock

Cost of construction: Approximately $557,000

Lockage: Approximately 9,200 vessels lock through annually; of these about 96% are recreational vessels.

Commodities: Approximately 15,600 tons of manufactured goods, equipment, crude materials, and petroleum products locked annually.

Lock usage: Operating hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 365 days a year, unless otherwise noted in the Coast Guard published, "Notice to Mariners." Lockage usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.

Technical Details

Lock chamber: 50 feet wide x 250 feet long x 10 feet

Lift of lock: Caloosahatchee River water level to Lake Okeechobee water level. Usually 1 to 2 feet.

Channel width and depth: 90 feet wide x 8 feet deep

Lock chamber type: Steel sheet piling walls

Lock gate type: Steel sector gates. Upper gates of lock serve as hurricane gates

Discharge capacity: 9,300 cfs (cubic feet per second) 

Hours of Operation

7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last lockage beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Contact Information

General information: 863-983-8101
SFOO@usace.army.mil
  • Navigation Locks monitor Marine VHF radio channel 13.
  • Bridges monitor channel 9.

To contact lock: 863-946-0414