Shipping on the Lower Snake River has returned to normal operations after cables anchoring the floating guide wall at Lower Monumental Dam broke.
An operator at the lock near Kahlotus noticed the floating guide wall drifting out of alignment in mid-June. An inspection in late July found that the cables anchoring the guide wall had broken.
The corps hired a tugboat to hold the guide wall in place from August 1st to late September. A contractor was hired to replace the broken cables with stronger chains. Shipping traffic was only allowed through the Lower Monumental Dam Lock at night during the work. The work was finished on Friday allowing the lock to fully reopen.
