Lock and Dam 8.. he dam stretches 934 feet across the Mississipi. Flow is controlled by five roller gates and 10 tainter gates. The dam isthe first downriver from LaCrosse, about seven miles south..
They jumped in when boat motor failed
GENOA,Wis. — Seven people were sucked through a gate on the Mississippi River dam at Genoa after their boat lost power. None were injured seriously, which Genoa Chief Mike Hanson called a miracle. The boaters had tried to paddle out of danger. But with their boat plainly in peril, they jumped off and grabbed logs or anything floating and rode their way through a roller gate. Hanson said people have gone through the dam before and died.: “This is one of very rare times somebody actually has lived through it.” The acccident was about 1:40 p.m.
Upper Mississippi dams
The U.S. rmy Corps of engineers opereates the lock system to facilitate shipping between Mjinneapolis and the Gulf coast.
Lock and Dam 5: Minnesota City
Lock and Dam 5A: Fountain City
Lock and Dam 6: Trempealeau
Lock and Dam 7: Dresbach
Lock and Dam 8: Genoa
2017 dam fatality
In April 2017 a fisherman had anchored in a restricted area 150 feet upstream from the dam. but He made a mistake: Pullling anchor before cranking the motor. The current pulled the boat towards the dam. The boat capsized and was pulled underneath one of the roller gates. Witesses said the fisherman was oulling on a life jacket, toolate, when the boat capsized. The fisherman was James Kenneth Freeman, age 52, of Lansing, Iowa.