Lock Three refilled and ready for river travellers

Lock Three at Overland Corner has today re-opened for navigation, following the completion of a $700,000 refurbishment of the River Murray structure.

SA Water – on behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority – has spent the past three months carrying out works including repainting lock gates; replacing gate seals and bottom fenders; rehabilitating upstream and downstream valves and tunnels; and replacing all cathodic protection systems.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of River Murray Operations Garry Fyfe said the lock chamber was emptied in preparation for the upgrade, but over the past two days, it has been gradually refilled of its usual eight-million-litres of water.

"The refilling process involves using pumps to slowly flood the chamber, allowing upstream and downstream cofferdams – steel beams temporarily installed during the maintenance works to stop water from entering – to become buoyant, before they’re removed," Garry said.

"We’ve been asked if any strange items were at the bottom of the lock chamber once the water was drained, and I think because of the flow of the river, most things would have already made their way downstream. We did however find a barbecue plate, presumably lost from a passing houseboat.

"For the most part though, when full of water, the structure remains relatively clear of reeds and anything else that might be growing in the river. It’s just the odd fish that might swim into the chamber when the water level is raised and lowered for boats to pass through."

Around 4000 people on a variety of boats and other river vessels pass through Lock Three every year.

"Although it’s not the biggest or most frequented of our locks, it’s still an important part of the River Murray system, so we are ensuring its longevity and continued safe and efficient operation," Garry said.

"We used a range of expertise, equipment and technology to carry out the Overland Corner project safely and successfully, including divers, a mini un-crewed submarine equipped with a camera, and our flagship travelling work barge the MV Maratala with its four-person crew."

Planned upgrades of all the SA Water-managed locks and weirs are undertaken in a 15 year cycle.

The nearby riverbank at Lock Three has also re-opened to the public, following the removal of equipment, machinery and a temporary site office used during the upgrade works.

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