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The Panama Canal works by transiting boats through a series of above-sea-level locks fed by Lake Gatún and the smaller Lake Alajuela.

To allow for 24 vessels a day through the dry season, the canal will release water from Lake Alajuela, a secondary reservoir.

The projects will seek alternatives for the water currently supplied by the Gatun and Alajuela artificial lakes.

Levels are also down at the smaller Alajuela Lake, the source of the freshwater for about half of Panama’s 4 million residents.

Canal administrator Jorge Luis Quijano has said that before considering another set of locks, an additional source on the scale of Gatun or Alajuela would be necessary.