The Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers today announced the Crooked River (Alanson) Lock will not be operational in time for the opening of trout season this Saturday.

The lock is located on the popular Michigan Inland Waterway in Cheboygan County. It is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and operated by the DNR. The equipment is more than 40 years old and in constant need of repair. Replacement parts are obsolete and often must be manufactured.

Wayne Schloop, chief of Operations at the Army Corps of Engineers - Detroit Office, and Ron Olson, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, understand this is an inconvenience; however, the overall safe operation of the lock and the safety of all boaters is paramount, they said.

Both the DNR and the Army Corps of Engineers staff are working together to have the lock open and operating safely as soon as possible. The Army Corps of Engineers anticipates the lock may be repaired and reopened by May 15.

For more information or updates, contact the DNR Parks and Recreation District Supervisor Gary Ellenwood at (906) 293-5131, ext. 4020, or Al Klein with the Army Corps of Engineers at (906) 635-3464.