[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10119]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BALLARD LOCKS IN WASHINGTON STATE

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today, with my colleague Senator 
Cantwell, I wish to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 
construction and operation of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, more 
commonly known in Washington State as the Ballard Locks. The Ballard 
Locks are not just symbolic of our region's rich maritime history, but 
a century later, they remain vital to the economy, public safety, 
environment, and more in Puget Sound.
  As early as the 1850s, settlers in Puget Sound recognized the 
benefits of connecting the region's freshwater lakes to the saltwater 
of Puget Sound. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy expressed interest. 
Ultimately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Army Corps, initiated 
planning for the locks in the late 1890s and work began in earnest 
under Hiram M. Chittenden, the Seattle district engineer for the Army 
Corps from April 1906 to September 1908. Construction began in 1911 
after the locks received approval from Congress, and the Ballard Locks 
were formally opened for vessel traffic on July 4, 1917.
  The Ballard Locks enable commercial and recreational vessels to 
travel to the docks, shipyards, warehouses, maintenance and repair 
facilities, and marinas in the region's freshwater lakes while also 
reducing maintenance costs and prolonging vessel life in the freshwater 
environment. The importance of the locks is underscored by their annual 
usage. Each year, the Ballard Locks support 45,000 vessel transits and 
14,000 lockage counts, which makes them the busiest lock in the United 
States in overall vessel traffic. If you only count commercial vessels 
from fishing fleets to oceangoing freight shippers and more, the 
Ballard Locks are the 12th busiest in the Nation.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I join my colleague Senator Murray in 
commemorating the Ballard Locks' 100th anniversary. As our constituents 
in Washington State know, these locks are an integral part of our 
regional economy. The safe and efficient operation of the Ballard Locks 
supports $1.2 billion in total lock-related economic activity, more 
than 3,000 full-time jobs, and more than 1 million tons of freight. 
With over 1.3 million visitors a year to see the locks and the fish 
ladder and visit the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens, the Ballard 
Locks are one of the region's top tourist attractions generating 
another $40 million in economic activity per year.
  The Ballard Locks provide critical public safety and environmental 
functions, maintaining the water level of Lake Washington and Lake 
Union and preventing salt water intrusion from Puget Sound into these 
freshwater lakes. The locks support two floating highway bridges--
Interstate-90 and State Route-520--the water and sewer systems that 
serve Mercer Island residents, and approximately 75 miles of developed 
commercial, municipal, and residential shoreline. It also allows for 
emergency response by the Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Harbor 
Patrol, King County Sheriff, and U.S. Coast Guard. The facilities 
spillway and fish ladder serve as a link for salmon and steelhead 
migrating from the ocean upstream to freshwater spawning grounds, which 
is important to fulfilling Federal Tribal treaty responsibilities.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, like other infrastructure across 
Washington State and the Nation, the Ballard Locks are showing their 
age. Senator Cantwell and I commend the Army Corps for its work to 
restore and modernize the locks, and we are doing our part in Congress 
to support these efforts. Year after year, we work to help Presidential 
administrations understand the critical importance of the Army Corps' 
work, and we make sure budgets actually reflect that need. We stand 
ready to continue to work with our partners in Puget Sound to complete 
the necessary repairs and upgrades of the Ballard Locks, as our 
regional economy and the more than 200 businesses that rely upon the 
locks cannot afford an extended, unplanned closure.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, together Senator Murray and I will 
continue to advocate for this critical infrastructure, working to 
ensure our colleagues and the administration understand the importance 
of the waterways and navigation systems in the Pacific Northwest. 
Investing in our water infrastructure supports jobs, economic security, 
and healthy communities. Senator Murray and I are proud to fight for 
the investments the Army Corps needs to operate, maintain, and restore 
the Ballard Locks.

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