Lockport Powerhouse
Located in Lockport, Ill., the MWRD built the Lockport Powerhouse in 1907 which marks the southern point of the MWRD-managed Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). The Powerhouse is located where the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal connects with the Des Plaines River. The facility is an integral part of the MWRD's work to manage the CAWS to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the MWRD service area. The Powerhouse allows the MWRD to control the levels of the waterways and provides financial benefits from hydroelectric power generation. The water flowing through the facility is harnessed by two turbines to provide a safe and environmentally friendly hydroelectric energy source that is sold back to Commonwealth Edison. The MWRD earns approximately 1 million dollars per year from generating hydroelectricity at Lockport Powerhouse.
![A large waterway lock structure and hydro electric powerhouse at the intersection of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Des Plaines River](/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/images/2023-10/20%200723_0270_Lockport.jpg?itok=fG65QhTD)
Hydroelectric Power Generation at Lockport Powerhouse
2022 | 21,929,152 kWh | $836,182.59 |
2021 | 32,499,834 kWh | $779,450.48 |
2020 | 37,608,633 kWh | $868,630.58 |
2019 | 41,131,268 kWh | $1,093,794.89 |
2018 | 42,004,233 kWh | $1,135,079.84 |
2017 | 37,583,707 kWh | $1,041,780.24 |
2016 | 35,595,896 kWh | $990,097.68 |
2015 | 41,595,703 kWh | $1,299,793.17 |
![A view of the inside of a hydroelectric powerhouse with a person standing next to large mechanical equipment](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/max_width_800/public/images/2023-10/Lockport%20then.jpg)
![An interior view showing large mechanical equipment in a hydro-electric powerhouse](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/max_width_800/public/images/2023-10/Lockport%20now.jpg)
![A person walking in the Des Plaines Inflow Tunnel](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/tile/public/images/2023-09/17%200317_0150b.jpg?h=38820d38)
Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP)
![Three workers and drilling equipment during excavation of a major canal in the 1890s](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/tile/public/images/2023-11/1896_1101_0450%2015_000_close%20crop.jpg?h=971886de)
A History of Protecting Our Water Environment
![Students planting native plants](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/tile/public/images/2023-10/16%201004_0287.jpg?h=13374b10)
You Can Help Prevent Flooding and Protect Water Quality
![Tow engineers discussing project plants with detailed documents on the wall](https://mwrd.org/sites/default/files/styles/tile/public/images/2023-11/15%200529_0030_careers.jpg?h=dc96e6d5)
Career Opportunities