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Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater)

Highest listed crest 546.59 ftFlood stage 541.0 ft9 crests since 1979

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater) crested above flood stage 9 times among the 9 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1979 to 2020. The highest, 546.59 ft on December 4, 1982, was minor flooding, 5.59 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
546.59 ft
December 4, 1982
Flood stage
541.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2020
544.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Will County
Near Crest Hill (1.9 mi), Lockport (3.0 mi), Romeoville (4.4 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater)
Action stage540.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)541.09May 18, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

9 crests from 1979 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater), 1979 to 2020 540542544546548ft Flood stage 541.0 ft Mar 3, 1979: 542.40 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1982: 546.59 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1985: 542.50 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 1986: 542.65 ft, minor floodingAug 24, 2007: 542.87 ft, minor floodingSep 14, 2008: 543.74 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 2018: 542.09 ft, minor floodingMay 2, 2019: 542.86 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2020: 544.40 ft, minor flooding Highest, 546.59 ft, Dec 4, 1982 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater) 1970s: 1 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Lockport Lock (tailwater)
1Dec 4, 1982546.59+5.59Minor—
2May 18, 2020544.40+3.40Minor—
3Sep 14, 2008543.74+2.74Minor—
4Aug 24, 2007542.87+1.87Minor—
5May 2, 2019542.86+1.86Minor—
6Oct 4, 1986542.65+1.65Minor—
7Mar 5, 1985542.50+1.50Minor—
8Mar 3, 1979542.40+1.40Minor—
9Feb 22, 2018542.09+1.09Minor—

The worst floods along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 18, 2020: 544.40 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Chicago (Western Ave)IL4.05.26 ft, May 17, 20200
Lockport Lock (tailwater) this gaugeIL541.0546.59 ft, Dec 4, 19820

Other gauges in Will County

Flood gauges in Will County
Brandon Road Lock (tailwater)507.0513.30 ft, Jul 13, 19570
Joliet541.0542.00 ft, Jul 1, 19570
Shorewood15.524.03 ft, Jul 18, 19967
Plainfield12.016.57 ft, Apr 19, 20132
Bolingbrook20.025.54 ft, Apr 18, 20132
Joliet16.519.50 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Wilmington6.516.70 ft, Feb 5, 188317
Crete14.017.72 ft, Jun 9, 20110

Will County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Illinois

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LOKI2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.