Lock and Dam 19, Keokuk Live Cam

This camera overlooks Lock and Dam 19 on the Mississippi River at Keokuk, Iowa, from the observation deck of the old river bridge. It shows the lock chamber, its steel gates and the brick powerhouse across the water.

The lock is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and its 1,200-foot chamber is among the longest on the Mississippi, lifting boats about 38 feet between the pools above and below the dam. The hydroelectric powerhouse beside the lock dates from 1913, and the dam runs from it across to the Illinois shore. Towboats push barges of grain, coal and other cargo through the lock in long tows.

From the deck the whole chamber is in view with its gates, a red work crane on the lock wall and part of the old bridge truss at the edge. Zoomed in, the camera looks down on towboats and their barges as they enter and leave the lock.