Along the Okeechobee Waterway
The Okeechobee Waterway was built in 1937 to provide passage for boats from coast to coast without having to travel around the southern tip of the state. It starts at Fort Myers on the west coast and ends in Stuart on the east coast. It runs through the Caloosahatchee River on the west of Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie Canal on the east side of the lake.
There are 5 locks on the Okeechobee waterway. A lock is a chamber into which the boat, ship, or watercraft enters. Once all the vessels are secure in the lock, the gate closes and the water level is raised or lowered. The opposite gate is then opened to allow vessels to enter the next stretch of waterway.
| For a boat going upstream: |  |
For a boat going downstream: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2. | The boat enters the lock. | 8–9. | The boat enters the lock. | |
| 3. | The lower gates are closed. | 10. | The upper gates are closed. | |
| 4–5. | The lock is filled with water from upstream. | 11–12. | The lock is emptied by draining its water downstream. | |
| 6. | The upper gates are opened. | 13. | The lower gates are opened. | |
| 7. | The boat exits the lock. | 14. | The boat exits the lock. | |
You never know what you will see while traveling by water. Check out the house below.
