ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is actively managing its Mississippi River Headwaters reservoir levels to minimize flooding following heavy rains.
The area received 4. 86 inches of rain from July 7-12. The Corps’ Big Sandy Lake, north of McGregor, Minnesota, is expected to rise to an elevation between 1,218 and 1218.5 feet in the next few days. The reservoir is currently at approximately 1,216.94 feet and rising.
The Corps of Engineers is and has been keeping the dam wide open, and the water is flowing to the Mississippi River, although the outflow is hampered by the high water level in the Mississippi River.
The National Weather Service Quantitative Precipitation Forecast for this region indicates that less than 1/2 inch of rain is expected within the next 5 days. Corps of Engineers staff will continue to monitor the situation on the reservoirs and in the river both upstream and downstream.
Property owners should take caution to move any boat lifts, docks, etc., to higher ground. Corps of Engineers staff will continue to monitor the situation on the reservoirs and in the river both upstream and downstream.
The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
-30-
Release no. 16-061