Wednesday November 11, 2026
KOMO News —
The Ballard Locks, one of the busiest boat locks in the world, are temporarily closed while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drains the deep chamber for annual maintenance work that includes scraping barnacles that can harm migrating salmon.
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, known as the Ballard Locks to locals, draw about 2 million visitors every year, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
“There’s always something different to see. A big boat coming through, little boats coming through. You get the herons roosting in the spring. I see seals and sea lions. I see beavers out here,” Phil Hammond, who lives in Ballard, said.
For a couple of weeks each November, the Army Corps drains the 55-foot-high chamber to keep boats moving along. Carlyn Orians, who lives in West Seattle, said seeing the chamber empty offers a different perspective. “It’s so deep. It’s deeper than you realize ’cause you don’t usually see it completely empty,” Orians said.