Franklin Lock – Click for Chartview

St. Lucie Lock – Click for Chartview

Franklin Lock, the westernmost lock on the Okeechobee Waterway, is located at Statute Mile 121 and St. Lucie Lock, the easternmost lock, lies west of Stuart, FL near Statute Mile 15. This notice was posted on Seven Seas Cruising Association by Susan Landry.

July 14, 2014: We received this note this morning from Skipper Parker and a phone call to the ACOE confirmed that at this time there are no restrictions on the Okeechobee locks:

I spoke with the St Lucie lock master this morning. The lake is up so there are no restricted hours at this time. We locked through with no problem. It might be prudent to call ahead.
Susan Parker

We locked through Franklin over July 4 weekend. They were operating on demand. Spent weekend @ docks there which were half empty even on a holi. day weekend. $12/night (with senior pass) includes power and water. Great time.
Kim s/v TrustMe!!!

For an excellent description of Franklin Lock and Dam Park by our good friends, Chuck and Susan Baier, go to: /?p=142643

The old Local Notice:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has announced restrictions on lock operations on the Okeechobee Waterway due to falling water levels on Lake Okeechobee.
Effective Thursday, June 5, locking operations at the W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam near Fort Myers and the St. Lucie Lock & Dam near Stuart will be conducted every two hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. This action is the result of the water level at Lake Okeechobee falling below 12.5 feet.
`This is standard operating procedure whenever the lake falls below 12.5 feet’ said Steve Dunham, Chief of the Corps’ South Florida Operations Office. `We encourage boaters to be aware of the lake level and consider that drafts will continue to decrease if the lake drops more in coming weeks. ‘
The updated schedule means that lockages will occur at Franklin and St. Lucie at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. Operations at the other three locks, Ortona, Moore Haven, and Port Mayaca, will continue on demand between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Should the lake drop below 11.5 feet, additional reductions in service will be necessary. A Notice to Navigation has been issued on this subject. For more information on navigation notices concerning the Okeechobee Waterway, please visit the following website:

www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Navigation/NoticestoNavigation.aspx

Click Here To View the Okeechobee Waterway Cruisers’ Net Bridge Directory Listing For Franklin Lock

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Franklin Lock

Click Here To View the Okeechobee Waterway Cruisers’ Net Bridge Directory Listing For St. Lucie Lock

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the St. Lucie Lock