With the start of the summer boating coming up, boaters will have limited use of the small lock at the Hiram Chittenden Locks.

The small lock has pintle bearings that are badly deteriorated and replacement parts have to be custom fabricated.

The locks were built in 1907 and are commonly referred to as the Ballard Locks.

The bearings support the four gates and act like hinge pins on a door, said Dick Devlin, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"The soonest we can have new pintle bearings fabricated is October. The potential for further damage to the gates is increased if we continue to average 240 lockings per week," said locks project manager Marian Valentine.

Boats will be diverted to the large locks.

"It can handle quite a bit of capacity. Even with large vessels, there is still room," said Devlin.

Commercial vessels will be allowed into the large locks first, followed by recreational boats.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends vessels carry two lines at least 50 feet in length to tie up to the wall of the large lock during all tides.

The small locks will be used for emergency vessels and at the discretion of the lockmaster. Too much use of the small locks could lead to complete failure of the gates.

"We would use it if we had a terribly crowded situation," said Devlin.

Despite the locks being operated on demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, most boaters will experience little or no impact.

"Although the large lock will see more lockages and does use more water, we are able to do this modified operation due to the abundant snow pack and late snowmelt. If water shortage becomes an issue later in the summer, the small locks may return to more frequent operation," said Valentine.

Kayaks and canoes are not allowed in the large lock and their users will be severely impacted.

Dean Wong may be reached at 783.1244 or deanw@robinsonnews.com