A single lock provides 9.5 feet (2.9 m) of lift. The gates of the locks are electric/hydraulic, converted from the original manual system in 1969.
The photos shows the large overflow dam that spans the Rideau River in this location. Colonel By originally planned all his dams to be overflow dams but after seeing the rivers in spring flood found it "indispensably necessary" to add waste water weirs at each lockstation. The weirs, which regulate flow through the use of stop logs, allow the water above the dam to be drawn down, providing capacity for flood waters.
For a full history of the Black Rapids Lock see: History of the Black Rapids Lock
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