The next dam upstream is Wheeler Dam. The next dam downstream is Pickwick Landing Dam.
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| TVA-history |
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| Vist The Shoals posted Don't miss out on seeing the Wilson Dam next time you #VisitTheShoals! It's the only one in the TVA system with a neoclassical design inspired by ancient Rome and Greece 🏛 Built in 1918, it's 137 feet [42m] tall and spans 4,541 feet (1384m, 0.86 miles) across the Tennessee River! 🌅✨ 📷: The Natchez Trace Fort Loudoun Lock shared Good 'Ol Big Wilson! The signature lock & dam on the gorgeous Tennessee River showing out every day & night with an approximate 100' [30m] of lift! She's a biggun'! |
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| Fort Loudoun Lock commented on their post 600' [183m] L x 110' [33.5m] W Wilson Main Lock Chamber - Vertical Lift Gate on the upper end. Miter Gates on the lower end. |
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| Virtual Tour via TVA |
TVA
- Construction of Wilson Dam began in 1918 and was completed in 1924.
- The dam is 137 feet high and stretches 4,541 feet across the Tennessee River.
- Wilson Dam is a hydroelectric facility. It has 21 generating units with a summer net dependable capacity of 653 megawatts. Net dependable capacity is the amount of power a dam can produce on an average day, minus the electricity used by the dam itself.
- Wilson is the largest conventional hydroelectric facility in the TVA system. Only Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant near Chattanooga can generate more hydroelectric power.
- Wilson Reservoir provides 166 miles of shoreline and 15,500 acres of water surface for recreation.
- The main lock at Wilson is 110-by-600 feet. With a maximum lift of 100 feet, it is the highest single lift lock east of the Rockies. An auxiliary lock has two 60-by 300-foot chambers that operate in tandem.
- On average, 3,700 vessels pass through Wilson's locks each year.
- Wilson has a flood-storage capacity of 50,500 acre-feet.
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| Boston Public Library Flickr via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) Aerial view, Wilson Dam, near Florence, Ala., 1930-45 |
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| TVA |
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| TVA posted without any identification Patrick Moore: Wilson Dam sometime after 1962 or so. |
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| TVA posted Bob Oswalt: Once upon a time a VP declared no water would be spilled. Truth |
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| TVA posted [I wish TVA would not play a "name that dam" game. It would not be that hard to provide the name in the photo's description. But I'm getting better at their game.] |
The neo-classical architecture of this facility is unique in the TVA System because it was built before the TVA was created.
America’s decision to enter World War I made Congress fear that the nation’s supply of nitrates, an essential ingredient in the production of explosives, would be terminated by German naval operations. The United States still relied on guano—bat dung—imported from Chile as the source of this critical military resource; deliveries could easily be interrupted by U-boats.
To solve this potentially disastrous problem, the National Defense Act of 1916 authorized immediate construction of two nitrate plants to be powered by an adjacent hydroelectric facility. Government engineers selected Muscle Shoals, located on the Tennessee River, as the construction site. Surveys noted that it had the most potential for the development of water power east of the Rockies. Construction on the dam began in 1918.
The war ended, however, before the facilities could ever begin production. And the U.S. government was saddled with a stranded asset worth $130 million dollars.
[TVA-history]
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| Visit the Shoals posted Wilson Dam is the only neoclassical-style dam in the TVA system, integrating themes of ancient Roman and Greek architecture into the modern structure. The construction of Wilson Dam began in 1918, a year after the United States entered World War I. The dam is 137 feet high and stretches 4,541 feet across the Tennessee River. 🌧 Ron Bishop shared |
When the TVA was formed in 1933, this dam became a key part of that system and the nitrate plant was converted to fertilizer production. The 110'x600' lock was added in 1959. Various improvements were made to the powerhouse so that it now produces 629,840 kw making it the largest TVA hydroelectric plant. Note the qualifier of "hydroelectric." The coal-powered plants are probably larger. The image selector on a TVA web page did not work for me, so I include the four photos here.
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TVA posted four photos with the comment:
Check these photos out of Wilson Dam 👀👇These photos of Wilson Dam are some of the earliest taken by a TVA photographer between 1918 and 1925!Did you know that the U.S. War Department built Wilson to help meet power demand during WWI?Check out our virtual tour of Wilson and see some areas of the dam never seen before!
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TVA posted five photos with the comment: "97 years ago, on September 12, 1925, Wilson Dam began generating hydroelectric power! Originally built by the US Army Corps of Engineers, TVA acquired the dam in 1933. It has 21 hydro units that produce more than 600 megawatts of electricity to power homes and businesses across the Valley. Wilson is located on the Tennessee River in Florence, AL. Take a virtual tour of this megastructure! http://tva.me/lM2650KIkK6 "
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After driving over the Wheeler Dam, my plan was to drive over the Wilson Dam, which is the next dam downstream. But that plan was broken when I encountered road-closed barricades across the road over the Wilson Dam. This town has an alternative bridge across the river, so I had assumed that they closed this bridge because of 9/11. It turns out, TVA closes the road when there is a heavy flow through the flood gates. [TimesDaily]
The road down to the locks is fenced off. So I parked the car here and walked along the fence and up the hill near the bridge.
This is a view of the spillway through the fence at 200mm. The photo is rather scuzzy because the weather is scuzzy. It makes me appreciate why photographers want sunny skies. But I was just glad it wasn't raining.
One reason for taking photos is because, in the comfort of my home, I see things that I didn't notice on location. For example, there are three gantry cranes. I can't figure out what the big one on the right does. Notice the visitor plaque just to the left of the building. It appears John Q Public could park real close to the lock. I agree with the TVA that this is too close. A rental with a fuel-oil bomb could probably do some real damage to the lock from that distance.
This photo shows that the gantry crane on the right in the above photo is the overhead crane for the three outside generating units that were added in the early 1960s when they added the 110'x600' lock.
Feb 25, 2019: TVA: WILSON DAM PUMPING 3 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER SECOND AFTER 10 DAYS OF RAIN The article correctly uses the term "spilling" instead of "pumping."
13.5" in 10 days has a significant impact on the river's flow.
256,445 cfs = 1,918,398 gps
Before they built the higher bridge over the new lock, there was a draw span over the original lock channel.
I notice that the old locks needed two locks to drop the needed height. The double lock is verified by a satellite image. The satellite image also shows that the upstream gates for both the old and 1960s locks are lift gates instead of miter gates. This is the third facility with a hydroelectric plant that I've seen that have lift gates. The other two are Keokuk and Lockport.
The spillway dam gates are obviously remote controlled.
As we crossed the bridge for AL-157, we grabbed photos looking upsream at the dam.
A time-lapse video of barges locking upbound through the old lock. They can do only one barge at a time. A helper towboat is shoving the barges in. The main towboat is pulling them out. I found this in another group. So the USACE is providing the helper towboat.
Pickwick Lock posted two photos with the comment: "Wilson Lock Completely Dewatered. 📸Joshua Miles"
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One reason for taking photos is because, in the comfort of my home, I see things that I didn't notice on location. For example, there are three gantry cranes. I can't figure out what the big one on the right does. Notice the visitor plaque just to the left of the building. It appears John Q Public could park real close to the lock. I agree with the TVA that this is too close. A rental with a fuel-oil bomb could probably do some real damage to the lock from that distance.
This photo shows that the gantry crane on the right in the above photo is the overhead crane for the three outside generating units that were added in the early 1960s when they added the 110'x600' lock.
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| G. O'Graffer Flickr |
Feb 25, 2019: TVA: WILSON DAM PUMPING 3 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER SECOND AFTER 10 DAYS OF RAIN The article correctly uses the term "spilling" instead of "pumping."
13.5" in 10 days has a significant impact on the river's flow.
The Tennessee River crested at 29 feet in Florence and should start falling eventually, Everett said.Fortunately, TVA keeps the last 48 hours of data. So during my visit:
Wilson Dam is spilling 3 million gallons of water per second on Monday. On Saturday, it was at 3.5 million gallons per second.
Wheeler Dam is spilling 2.8 million gallons of water per second.
The Pickwick Dam in Hardin County, TN, has had the highest spill rate so far with 3.7 million gallons of water per second, Everett said.
[WAAY]
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| TVA-48-hours |
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| Photo by Ben Tate in Mar 2011 via Bridge Hunter, he uploaded several more photos of the flood |
Before they built the higher bridge over the new lock, there was a draw span over the original lock channel.
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| Postcard via Bridge Hunter |
The Google Street View Car was able to drive over the dam, and it got better photos than I probably could get.
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| Street View, May 2019 |
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| Satellite |
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| Street View, May 2019 |
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| Street View |
As we crossed the bridge for AL-157, we grabbed photos looking upsream at the dam.
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| Mike Murphy posted M/V HOLY ANGEL I took that picture a top Wilson Lock while making a trip on the boat. What a view. Thomas Morrison: Love this lock. |
A time-lapse video of barges locking upbound through the old lock. They can do only one barge at a time. A helper towboat is shoving the barges in. The main towboat is pulling them out. I found this in another group. So the USACE is providing the helper towboat.
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| Blessey Marine Services posted [Their comment specified the wrong lock so I'm not repeating it.] David Gulden shared Thomas Valenzuela: I've never made that lock how long does it take to drop 95' sometimes it takes an hour to drop 15' on Illinois. James Roach: Tommy it takes a full watch to lock. |
TVA posted four photos with the comment:
David Gulden sharedIn 1959, TVA completed the massive single-lift lock at Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River in Florence, Ala. It replaced the old and inadequate double-lift lockage system, which the Army Corps of Engineers completed in 1927.The single lift lock is the highest east of the Rocky Mountains, with a normal lift between 93 and 100 feet!The modified auxiliary lock reopened on Feb. 9, 1961.
John Niswonger: Biggest set of gates I ever seen! When they tell you to make sure your well secure. They mean it. They shoot the water to you.
Pickwick Lock shared
Joshua Garrison: So much more convenient then one barge locking the auxiliary chamber.
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Pickwick Lock posted two photos with the comment: "Wilson Lock Completely Dewatered. 📸Joshua Miles"
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Wilson Lock shared Tennessee River 600's post of two photos with the comment:
Locking through Wilson Lock after fuel at Florence Harbor.
Fun fact about this lock. According to the Army Corp website, "It is the highest single lift lock east of the Rocky Mountains with a normal lift of between 93 and 100 feet!"
Thank you Wilson operators! We appreciate you!
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Because of Hurricane Ida, there is supposed to be a lot of rain on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. I've seen announcements of them spilling water days before Ida should hit to free up flood storage capacity. But this is the only impact I've seen on the dams. And I don't know for sure that Ida caused this problem or if it was a lack-of-maintenance, or both.
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| TVA posted The upstream navigation floating wall that guides boats into the primary lock at Wilson Dam has separated and sunk. There are currently no safety, environmental, or operational impacts to the dam. The wall is stable and submerged under about 75 feet of water. The locks are now closed as TVA and the Nashville District investigate and make plans to recover the structure and accommodate river traffic. Christie Norton shared Pickwick Lock shared John Nunley: That wall has always demanded attention. |
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| Steven Neal Spurgeon II commented on TVA's post |
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| Steven Neal Spurgeon II commented on TVA's post |
Normally, I would be happy that the street view car is in the downstream lane because that is typically the more interesting side. But in this case the upstream side is of interest.
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| Street View |
I have no idea how the entire guidewall just sinks. I think the normal failure mode is that the cables that hold it in place have to readjusted.
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| Wilson Lock posted |
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| Wilson Lock posted The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District conducted trials this afternoon with the barge industry to ascertain whether it is safe to navigate through Wilson Lock using helper boats and different configurations of barges. Safety is the Corps' main concern with operating the lock given the sunken 600-foot-long floating boom wall on the upstream side of the lock. The Corps expects to provide an update to the navigation industry regarding operations at Wilson Lock based on the findings of today's trials. The Corps and Tennessee Valley Authority continue to assess the condition of the sunken guide wall. The incident remains under investigation. TVA reports that there are no safety, environmental or operational impacts to Wilson Dam. The lock is located on the Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama. #Navigation #TVA #NashvilleCorps  Matthew Williamson[This is an example of how PR people think in terms of canned platitudes. They claim there are no operational impacts on the dam just after explaining that they are experimenting with how to safely open it again.] |
Pickwick Lock posted the above "conducting trials" announcement with five photos demonstrating that Wilson Lock did not pick one of the more interesting photos.
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| 2 [I wish they had more photos of what the assist towboat was doing rather than just some standard tow in a lock photos. In particular, I want to see a wider angle so that we can see the context of the assist operation.] |
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TVA posted three photos with the comment:
Using high-tech to see under the surface of the water, our Dam Safety engineers use remotely operated underwater vehicles and sonar to check the condition of the nearly 600-foot sunken concrete guide wall upstream of the primary Wilson Dam navigation lock. Our team, working with the Army Corps of Engineers, will determine the best path forward. The lock is now reopened to commercial and recreational river traffic, with larger vessels getting assistance from helper boats that will guide them into the lock chamber.
Locking and restriction info at Wilson: http://tva.me/YL8Q50G3g3P
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Navigation Notice 21-33: Due to the sinking of the upper lock approach wall at Wilson Lock, temporary measures have been implemented to operate the main chamber on a limited basis. Until further notice and effective immediately, the Corps of Engineers will be implementing lockage restrictions. The lock is located at Tennessee River mile 259.4 in Florence, Alabama.
Lockages at Wilson Lock will stop when flows reach 275,000 cfs or spillway gates 1-26 adjacent to the lock are in operation. During this unprecedented event of the absence of the upper approach wall, the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and Navigation Industry Representatives worked together to develop interim restrictions to safely operate.
Recreation vessels are not restricted at this time and should contact the lock operator on duty to receive specific instructions prior to approaching the lock.
The following restrictions for commercial traffic will be in place effective immediately. Changes or additions to below are at the discretion of the Lockmaster.
1. Towboats are required to have a minimum 300 horsepower per jumbo barge and 750 horsepower per oversize tank barge.
2. No locking of empty tows if sustained winds of 20 mph or higher.
3. DOWNBOUND: (Please reference Diagram 1 on how to approach.)
3.1. Daylight hours only and under good visibility.
3.2. Receive priority during daytime hours.
3.3. Industry provided helper boat must be positioned upstream to assist all downbound lockages regardless of tow size or configuration.
3.4. Tow width cannot exceed 70 feet during approach or when entering the lock.
4. UPBOUND:
4.1. Setovers can be done in the chamber with a helper boat.
4.2. Full tow width of 110 foot allowed.
4.3. Nighttime lockages allowed.
4.4. Must have industry provided helper boat for double lockages or towboats with less than 1,800 hp.
4.5. Must build tows on cells.
If spillway gates 1-26 on Wilson Dam are put into operation or flows reach the Action Phase per the 2020-3428 TN River Waterway Management Plan of 275,000 cfs the lock will stop until the situation is evaluated.
Call Clay Askew at 256-764-5223 at Wilson Lock for more information. The Wilson Lock Restriction diagrams are attached to this announcement as photos.
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| TVA posted [Sep 21, 2021] Rain continues to fall throughout the Tennessee Valley causing higher than normal flows on rivers and creeks. We are currently spilling excess water at five of the nine dams on the Tennessee River. Our tributary dams are storing water where possible. Most of the rain has been in the central Valley and impacting locations along the Tennessee, Elk, and Duck Rivers. Get the latest lake updates here: http://tva.me/AMbm50GdWpK  Wilson DamPickwick Lock shared |
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| Matthew Nichols, Oct 2020 |
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| safe_image for YouTube 2:12 timelapse video [It appears the upstream gates go down rather than swing open.] |
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| USACE-dewatering, first of six photos "(April 11, 2022) – Work crews recently drained more than 15 million gallons of water from Wilson Lock to provide maintenance personnel dry conditions to repair and rehabilitate the navigation lock to keep vessels moving up and down the Tennessee River....The dewatering process requires a complete shutdown of the main lock for a period of 30 days. Requiring commercial vessels to pass through the smaller auxiliary lock, the shutdown creates longer lockage times." The lock is normally dewatered every 3 years, but it has been 7 years since the last dewatering. The lock should return to normal operation on Apr 28, 2022. This lock was a 1959 structure. I confirmed that the dam originally had just the double-lock facility. [TVA-history] |
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| 1 of 3 photos posted by TVA Here's something you don't see every day! Working with the Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District our Dam Safety crews have been working in the dewatered Wilson Lock near Florence, AL, to inspect and perform repairs. The Army Corps of Engineers pumped 15 million gallons (about 750 average swimming pools) out to access the lock's deepest parts! During this time, commercial vessels can use the auxiliary lock to navigate the Tennessee River. |
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| Stephanie Grooms commented on TVA's post I miss being able to get closer and see the big lock in action. Especially getting the private tour with my Dad. I spent a few 4th of Julys out on the platform watching the fireworks shot off near O'Neal Bridge. What a sight!! I passed through last June and got as close as I could. It's definitely not the same. |
TVA posted three photos with the comment: "Check this out! Unit 4 at Wilson Dam is being completely overhauled, and when the work is complete, the 50-year-old generator will once again generate 22 megawatts of clean and green electricity. Wilson Dam has 21 generating units with a capacity of 653 megawatts of renewable energy!"
Wilson Lock shared
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TVA posted three photos with the comment: "Wilson Dam, the largest conventional hydroelectric facility in the TVA system, has been in service for nearly 100 years. We are modernizing Unit 4, including installing an updated generator rotor. The upgrades will ensure this integral piece of history remains a hydroelectric marvel for decades to come. "
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| Jul 3, 2024: Wilson Lock posted Wilson Lock Main Chamber at TRM 259.4 will have intermittent closures July 8-18 daily from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm for phase 1 of repairs to the lower land wall. The main chamber will open July 18th at 6:00 pm thru July 22nd at 6:00 am. Phase 2 will be a full main lock chamber closure beginning at 6:00 am on July 22nd thru August 8th at 6:00 pm for the repairs to the lower land wall. The auxiliary chamber will be available starting July 8th thru August 8th while the main chamber is closed. Ron Bishop shared |
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| 4:04 timelapse video @ 1:42 [The lockmaster allowed him to go around the two that was ahead of him Note the older double lock on the left.] |
Sep 27, 2024:
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| safe_image for Cracks Force Wilson Lock Closure "The district advised the public that the 60-foot by 300-foot auxiliary lock at Wilson would open at 6 a.m. September 27 and be ready for use. Passing navigation traffic through the auxiliary lock is expected to increase locking time by up to 16-24 hours for a typical 15-barge tow.....Jones said it was possible that repairs could take as long as other unscheduled repairs this year at Holt Lock on the Black Warrior River, where cracks in a monolith forced the lock’s closure in June, and at the Demopolis Lock on the Tombigbee River, where a miter sill failure in January forced a four-month closure. Delays already had been significant at the Wilson main chamber due to the sinking of a floating guidewall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021. Jones reported a couple of weeks ago that downbound tows were having to be broken and rebuilt one barge at a time inside the lock chamber’s upper gates, which was taking up to 12 to 15 hours, with no downbound traffic permitted after nightfall. Helper boats had been assisting upbound lockages, which were taking about four to five hours to lock through." Wilson Lock posted 🚨🔧 NOTICE: Wilson Lock Chamber Closed for Inspections and Repairs The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and the Tennessee Valley Authority have closed the main lock chamber at Wilson Lock on the Tennessee River near Florence, Alabama, following a recent inspection that revealed cracks in the lock gates. Safety is our top priority, and this precautionary closure will help prevent further damage and protect the lock’s functionality. Starting September 27 at 6 a.m., the auxiliary lock will be open for navigation, though passing traffic may experience delays of 16-24 hours for a typical 15-barge tow. We’re actively assessing the situation and will provide updates as we work to repair and reopen the lock chamber. Thank you for your patience and understanding! #USACENashville #WilsonLock #TVAPartnership #NavigationUpdate #TennesseeRiver For full details, read more at https://www.army.mil/article/280052. Pickwick Lock shared |
Oct 10, 2024:
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| safe_image for Wilson Lock Closed Until At Least December (source) "Work must be completed on the downstream closure structure slot to allow dewatering, Mangrum said. That work was begun during a previous closure but not completed. Stoplogs necessary to dewater the lock cannot be set until it is, and currently some liners are missing, and there is wall armor damage....Once the slot is repaired, curing will take three to four weeks until it can be used....The Corps and TVA are working closely with vessels too large to fit in the auxiliary lock, including United Launch Alliance’s RocketShip, which had been scheduled to traverse the lock in November to deliver rocket stages as it travels from ULA’s Decatur, Ala., plant to Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the river system and Gulf. Additionally, American Cruise Lines rescheduled some cruise itineraries because of the closure as its vessels also will not fit in the auxiliary lock, Mangrum said" [Not being able to insert the stoplogs strikes me as a serious safety breach..] |
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