A family watches salmon pass through the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks last summer. The fish ladder will be closed for cleaning May 24 through June 4.
The fish ladder at the Ballard Locks will be closed for annual maintenance May 24 until June 4. Most of the fish ladder plaza area and the ramp to the viewing room will be closed to the public.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, which operates the Ballard Locks, conducts maintenance work on the fish ladder every spring prior to the time when adult salmon begin migrating upstream to spawn.
The fish ladder annually allows tens of thousands of salmon to migrate safely into the fresh water of Lakes Union and Washington. Last year, approximately 33,702 sockeye, 5,082 chinook and 20,732 coho adult salmon were counted in the fish ladder on their way upstream.
For current information about activities at the locks, visit the Corps of Engineers Web site at www.nws.usace.army.mil and select “Dams and Locks” then “Lake Washington Ship Canal” from the left column.
