Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.

“Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.” is a supplemental task performed by Bridge and Lock Tenders. Among the occupation's 18 rated tasks, workers place it 18th by importance (#1 most important). About 50% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Operate pumping systems or equipment. in Controlling Machines and Processes

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening. · importance 4.9
• Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges. · importance 4.9
• Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers. · importance 4.8
• Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces. · importance 4.8
• Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges. · importance 4.8
• Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates. · importance 4.8
• Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic. · importance 4.8
• Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges. · importance 4.7
• Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass. · importance 4.7
• Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms. · importance 4.6
• Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments. · importance 4.6
• Write and submit maintenance work requisitions. · importance 4.4
• Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary. · importance 4.4
• Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions. · importance 4.3

See all tasks on the Bridge and Lock Tenders page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-7164,
  title  = {Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-7164}
}