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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Programs & Project Management
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

(651) 290-5755

cemvp-pm@usace.army.mil

  • August

    Corps, Partners celebrate 30 year anniversary for Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Rock Island, St. Paul, and St. Louis Districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with their partners, will host a ceremony Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. to commemorate 30 years of service for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program.

  • May

    Corps, partners develop plan to protect wetlands

    Northeast Minnesota is known for its views of Lake Superior, outdoor recreation opportunities, the call of the loon and its pristine wetlands.

  • Corps, partners to host Upper Pool 4 project groundbreaking ceremony

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony in Bay City, Wisconsin, May 16, to kickoff construction of a first-of-its-kind Mississippi River habit improvement project.

  • Corps, partners will temporarily close the Trout Lake landing in Manhattan Beach, Minn., to make improvements

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District and the Whitefish Area Property Owners Association are temporarily closing a public access in Manhattan Beach, Minn., to make improvements.

  • September

    Dan Kelner, left, district mussel biologist, and Nathan Eckert, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mussel biologist, talk with Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior Ken Salazar during an endangered mussel release in the Mississippi River Aug. 17, 2012.

    Corps, partners work together to preserve endangered mussels

    Working side-by-side with boats and divers, the district and its partners worked as a unified team to place three federally endangered mussel species within the Mississippi River at Pool 2, Aug. 17.

  • April

    Corps’ Blackhawk Park opens to campers early this season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Park rangers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District’s Blackhawk Park, near De Soto, Wis., are welcoming campers to stay at the park earlier than normal this year.

  • May

    Ingram Barge Company's motor vessel R. Clayton McWhorter locks through Lock & Dam 5A near Winona, Minn., on May 17, 2013. This tow was the first tow to lock through following a barge struck and seriously damaged one of the upstream gates on May 16.

    Corps’ Fountain City, Wis., Lock and Dam reopens following tow accident

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is reopening its Lock and Dam 5A on the Mississippi River, near Fountain City, Wis., today, May 17, after a temporary closure due to a tow hitting one of the miter gates during a lockage May 16.

  • Corps’ Gull Lake reservoir at near record level

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Due to the recent rainfall, Gull Lake rose nearly 1 foot from the normal summer operating level yesterday, May 27.

  • June

    Corps’ Gull Lake reservoir crested, to recede slowly

    Gull Lake crested Wednesday, May 30, at elevation 1,195.09 feet, tying the record set July 22, 1952. The lake is slowly receding.

  • March

    Corps’ island restoration project begins near Lansing, Iowa

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, reminds Mississippi River boating and fishing enthusiasts to exercise caution in and around Mississippi River Pool 9 this summer.

  • July

    Fishing below Leech Lake Dam at Federal Dam, Minn.

    Corps’ Leech Lake Recreation Area to host free youth fishing derby

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting a free youth fishing derby for kids age 14 and under at its Leech Lake Recreation Area in Federal Dam, Minn., July 20.

  • June

    Corps’ Minneapolis locks closing to commercial traffic

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closing the Minneapolis locks to commercial navigation June 24 at noon because of the increased water in the river from the recent storms.

  • May

    Corps’ Pokegama reservoir expected to rise rapidly

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is anticipating Pokegama Lake at Grand Rapids, Minn., to rise rapidly over the next several days.

  • April

    Corps’ St. Paul District commander in Fargo, N.D., May 1-2

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Col. Michael Price, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District commander, will be in Fargo, N.D., May 1-2.

  • February

    Corps’ St. Paul District commander in North Dakota Feb. 8

    Price will be in Fargo to meet with the leaders of the cities of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., to discuss moving forward on the design of a proposed diversion channel for the Fargo/Moorhead metropolitan area.

  • April

    Corps’ St. Paul District commander in Valley City, N.D., April 9

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Col. Michael Price, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District commander, will be in Valley City, N.D., the afternoon of Tuesday, April 10.

  • October

    Corps’ St. Paul District earns top place for small business contracting

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District Small Business Program, earned national first place honors during Fiscal Year 2012 for obligating small business contracting dollars.

  • April

    St. Paul District to start using nationwide permits.

    Corps’ St. Paul District to begin using nationwide permits

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will begin using nationwide general permits for work in streams, wetlands, lakes and other waters of the United States within Minnesota and Wisconsin, including on federally-recognized Indian Reservations, April 24.

  • Crosscurrents Spring 2021 is now available

    The Spring 2021 issue of Crosscurrents is now available here: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Media/Crosscurrents/

  • December

    Crosscurrents Winter 2020 is now available

    The winter 2020 edition of Crosscurrents is now available.

  • May

    Crystal, Minn., resident receives national Corps of Engineers award

    ST. Paul, Minn. – The. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters recently selected St. Paul District employee Adéle Braun as the recipient of its inaugural 2012 Value Engineering “Rising Star” Award.

  • February

    Tammy Johnson, Big Sandy Lake Recreation Area site supervisor, adjust the gates at the dam, near McGregor, Minn., Jan. 23. Despite temperatures dropping below negative 20 degrees, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District park rangers continue working to ensure the reservoir levels are maintained as the district continues preparations for a spring runoff.

    Dam tenders work thru frigid temps

    For many people, the winter months in the Upper Midwest mean indoors projects. That’s not the case for some district employees.

  • July

    A photo of a man in a suit and tie in front of the United Sates flag and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flag.

    Davenport, Iowa, resident earns national Corps of Engineers award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C., selected Mark Cornish of Davenport, Iowa, as the recipient of its 2023 Civil Works Planning Excellence Award for his work on the Lock and Dam 22 Fish Passage project.

  • August

    Deerwood resident receives Corps of Engineers’ Climate Champion Award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C., recently selected Deerwood, Minn., resident and St. Paul District employee Chanel Mueller as recipient of the Corps Climate Champion Award.

  • September

    DeLuca set to lead Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Brig. Gen. Peter A. “Duke” DeLuca will assume command of the Mississippi Valley Division from Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody in a formal change of command ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 24, in Vicksburg, Miss. The ceremony will be officiated by the Corps' Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, and will take place at 10 a.m. in the

  • February

    Maj. Gen. John Peabody, Mississippi Valley Division commander, left, and Bill Csajko, project management, discuss the ongoing construction efforts at Tolna Coulee, near Tolna, N.D., during a site visit January 30, 2015. The Corps plans to complete the construction within the next six weeks.

    Despite winter conditions, the district continues Tolna Coulee outlet construction

    Amid rolling hills and a lake that continues invading communities in central North Dakota, lies a control structure here that the district is building to prevent catastrophic erosion.

  • Devils Lake, N.D., resident receives Corps of Engineers construction award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, Miss., recently announced its selection of Corps of Engineers St. Paul District employee and Devils Lake, N.D., resident Loren Nishek as the recipient of its 2011 Construction Hard Hat of the Year Award.

  • June

    Devils Lake, N.D., resident wins national Corps of Engineers construction award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Headquarters recently announced its selection of Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District employee and Devils Lake, N.D., resident Loren Nishek as the recipient of its 2011 Construction Hard Hat of the Year Award.

  • February

    Joseph Gurin, operations, uses a clevis to connect equipment to a crane during dewatering construction at Lock and Dam 6, near Trempeauleau, Wis., Jan. 16.

    Dewatering a lock and dam

    For the fourth time since it was put into service in 1936, Lock and Dam 6, near Trempealeau, Wis., is being dewatered. The lock was closed Dec. 3, and the repairs are scheduled to be completed by March 11. The 13 lock and dams within the district are dewatered for maintenance on a schedule of every 15 to 20 years. The work is scheduled around the

  • October

    Damon Roberts, counsel, is the 2012 Joseph W. Kimbel Award recipient. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers award recognized an attorney that demonstrates the highest professional potential for future legal achievement.

    District attorney earns national award

    St. Paul District lawyer Damon Roberts, counsel, was recently selected as the 2013 Joseph W. Kimbel Award recipient.

  • September

    A photo of a man in a suit

    District attorney selected for national award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters, in Washington D.C., recently selected St. Paul District deputy district counsel and St. Paul, Minnesota resident, Vinai Vinlander as the recipient of the Joseph W. Kimbel award. The award recognizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney who demonstrates the highest professional potential for future legal achievement.
  • District celebrates 100 years of dam operations at Gull Lake

    District celebrates 100 years of dam operations at Gull Lake

    A celebration 100 years in the making occurred Aug. 4 at the Gull Lake Recreation Area as the district recognized the past century of dam operations at the site, located near Brainerd, Minn.

  • January

    District dewaters lock and dam for maintenance

    The lack of ice and the presence of standing water at the bottom of Lock and Dam 7’s dewatered chamber near La Crosse, Wis., marks a drastic change from last year’s routine winter maintenance, when often times work was done during below zero temperatures. This year, with warmer than normal weather, everything is easier than normal, said Scott Uhl, the crew’s foreman. The improved weather conditions have helped the maintenance and repair crew from Fountain City, Wis., to get slightly ahead of schedule.

  • July

    Paul Machajewski, Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District employee supporting the Red River of the North flood fight, plays with 11-month-old puppy “Chucky” at a park in Fargo, N.D., April 30. The dog’s owner, Timothy Murphy, met Machajewski to say thanks after he saved his dog during temporary levee construction in Fargo. Murphy, a published poet, also sent a poem to Machajewski to show his gratitude. According to Murphy, Chucky is an escape artist that doesn’t have a reverse gear or know how to stop. Machajewski said he was just glad to help and as a fellow dog owner, he said he knew he had to do what he could to protect the dog from harm during the levee construction.

    District employee supports North Dakota flood fight and saves a puppy along the way

    When Paul Machajewski, operations, left his home near Winona, Minn., earlier this spring to serve as an emergency operations construction representative for the work being done in and around Fargo, N.D., rescuing a puppy wasn’t even a thought on his mind.

  • December

    Volunteers from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, and the district celebrate with seven wounded warriors following the first warrior deer hunt at Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 8. The hunt was a collaborative effort among the DNR, the district, the Chanhassen Yellow Ribbon Program and the Wounded Warrior Project.

    District employees volunteer, support wounded warrior deer hunt at Eau Galle Park

    What started as an idea a little more than six months ago, came to fruition Dec. 8 in the woods overlooking the Eau Galle Dam as volunteers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Wounded Warrior Project; and Chanhassen Yellow Ribbon Program honored seven wounded warriors with a deer hunt

  • July

    The Fighting Calculators team is mentored by Tom Crump, planning, and Rick Femrite, engineering and construction. The Fighting Calculators is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics team that participated in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) robotic competition.

    District engineers use robots for STEM Outreach

    One of the challenges we face as a nation is getting kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, in order to develop the problem solvers of the future. One way I am helping to meet that challenge is by mentoring a high school robotic team, The Fighting Calculators. The Fighting Calculators participate in the FIRST Robotic Competition, a program where high school students build robots and then compete against other high school teams. FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, encourages STEM education through a suite of robotic competitions, ranging from FIRST Lego League for elementary school kids up to FIRST Robotic Competition for high school teams. FIRST Robotics is the fastest growing sport in the nation. In Minnesota, there are now more high school robotics teams than high school hockey teams!

  • February

    District maintenance and repair employees place a temporary dam, or cofferdam, on the Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis during repairs in the fall of 2012.

    District finds opportunity during drought, completes repair work at Minneapolis lock

    Drought isn’t all bad. Low flows on the Upper Mississippi River provided the district an opportunity to make concrete repairs at Lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis. Jacob Fall, engineering and construction, said the district has been waiting years for river flows low enough to safely divert water at Lower Saint Anthony Falls from

  • September

    Dan Reburn, operations, drives a boat to a Mississippi River island near Red Wing, Minn., June 10.

    District foresters turn island into large Petri dish

    The district recently finished a three-year reforestation project with a massive planting of 7,000 trees. The Gores Reforestation Project is intended to enhance wildlife habitat and manage invasive species on a Mississippi River island located near Red Wing, Minn., which is public land managed by the Corps. Reed canary grass, an invasive, has slowly been taking over this island.

  • June

    woman fits man for hearing protection

    District recognized as safest workplace in the Corps of Engineers

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, was selected as the winner of the 2018 Chief of Engineers Safety Award of Excellence – District Category, once again raising the bar in safety excellence.

  • District recognized as safest workplace in the Corps of Engineers

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, was selected as the winner of the 2018 Chief of Engineers Safety Award of Excellence – District Category.

  • September

    MCGREGOR, Minn. -- Members of the St. Croix Ojibwe Tribe launch their hand-made birchbark canoes at Big Sandy Lake, near McGregor, Minn., July 31. About 200 people gathered to remember the more than 400 Anishinaabe people that died during the winter of 1850-1851.

    District staff, tribes gather to remember Big Sandy Lake tragedy

    Around 200 people gathered at the district’s Big Sandy Lake Recreation Area, near McGregor, Minn., July 31 to honor and remember a tragedy that occurred 163 years ago.

  • January

    Jon Gustafson, chief surveyor for the St. Paul District, helped judge the Future City Competition that was held at the University of Minnesota, Sat., Jan. 18, where he represented National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, or NCEES, as the technical judge for the award for Best Land Surveying Practices. Here, Gustafson presents the award to the Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons, the winning team from East Grand Forks, Minn.

    District surveyor judges Future City Competition

    Jon Gustafson, chief surveyor for the St. Paul District, helped judge the Future City Competition that was held at the University of Minnesota, Sat., Jan. 18, where he represented National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, or NCEES, as the technical judge for the award for Best Land Surveying Practices.

  • September

    FARGO, N.D. -- Katie Opsahl, planning, left; and Bob Edstrom, project management, prepare for a public meeting about the Fargo, N.D./ Moorhead, Minn., Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project in Fargo June 26.

    District team earns national value engineering honors

    The district earned another national-level award for engineering earlier this summer at a summit in Arlington, Va. The value engineering team received the national award from the Society of American Value Engineers, or SAVE, International organization during the SAVE Value Summit June 26.

  • June

    Elliot Stefanik, sitting, fish biologist, explains to Jenna Merry, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service student, how the hydro-acoustic camera will help researches better understand fish behavior within the Mississippi River.

    District uses technology to learn about fish behavior around locks and dams

    As Asian carp continue to dominate news headlines across the Upper Mississippi River, the district’s scientists recently received some new technology to assist them in researching fish on the river.

  • April

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the arrival of its newest vessel, the Model Vessel Curt Larsen, with a christening ceremony at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 16. The MV Larsen was commissioned as a working boat by the district's public affairs office in 2013 to assist in the accomplishment of the district's community relations misson. The Larsen will be used to tow demonstration loads in the district's lock model. It was named after district lock operator Curt Larsen, who manufactured the boat. He created the vessel to be able to withstand thousands of children playing with it for a number of years.

    District welcomes new towboat with a christening ceremony

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the arrival of its newest vessel, the Model Vessel Curt Larsen, with a christening ceremony at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 16.
  • WINONA, Minn., -- From left, Kurt Ressie, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, small craft operator Winona, Minn., Fire Department Capt. Duane Chadbourn; and Dan Cottrell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, channel maintenance coordinator; pull Winona Fire Department Capt. Jason Theusch from the water during a joint cold water rescue training event March 28 on the Mississippi River. This was the first time that both agencies trained together and they both plan on making it an annual event.

    District, fire department team up for rescue training

    Time is critical during a crisis. Decisions can, and often do, determine the outcome in many emergencies. Recognizing the importance of teamwork and communication, the district and the Winona, Minn., Fire Department participated in a joint rescue training event along the banks of the Mississippi River March 28.

  • September

    Members of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers look at aerial maps of the Mississippi River while conducting a tour to see the island creation process in action.

    District, partners dedicate Pool 8 islands project

    District staff gathered near Brownsville, Minn., Aug. 30, to highlight and dedicate the completion of a 3,000-acre environmental project along the Mississippi River in Pool 8.

  • April

    District, Valley City, N.D., sign agreement, marking the beginning of a feasibility study along the Sheyenne River

    The district kicked off the Valley City, Sheyenne River Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study during a signing ceremony in Valley City, N.D., April 10. Col. Michael Price, district commander, and Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven signed the cost-sharing agreement in front of local officials and the media to mark the beginning of this $1.5 million study that is expected to take 2 1/2 years to complete.

  • May

    District’s first female deputy engineer finalist for Service to America Award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District employee and St. Paul resident, Judy DesHarnais, is a finalist for the 2018 nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal.

  • December

    Rebecca Graser, St. Paul District employee and Waukesha, Wis., resident receives an Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service from Col. Michael Price, St. Paul District commander, in St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 14, 2012.

    District's Graser selected for division regulatory honor

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, selected Rebecca Graser, St. Paul District employee and Waukesha, Wis., resident as its division nominee for the 2012 Don Lawyer Regulator of the Year.

  • May

    Division chief uses national team membership to write national policy, help district

    It’s not every day a district employee gets to be involved with creating national policy. Michael Bart, the district’s chief of engineering and construction, was given that opportunity starting in September 2007, when he was asked to serve as the team lead of the Corps’ new Levee Safety Policy and Procedures Team. He had just finished a seven-month assignment at the Corps’ Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans as the deputy for execution support and had been assisting with the Corps’ Dam Safety Program for a couple of years when he agreed to serve in this role.

  • August

    Bonnie Greenleaf, Devils Lake flood risk management project manager, briefs Mississippi Valley Division commander Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr on features of the project during a tour of the area during his North Dakota visit July 6-8, 2015. The Devils Lake basin is a 3,810 square-mile sub-basin of the Red River of the North with no natural outlet until lake levels reach an elevation 1,458, at which it flows through Tolna Coulee into the Sheyenne River. Maj. Gen. Wehr received an orientation of the Devils Lake Basin prior to attending Devils Lake Executive Committee, or DLEC, meeting July 8, 2015. The DLEC, co-chaired by the commander of the Mississippi Valley Division and the governor of North Dakota, is comprised of representatives from more than 20 Federal, State, tribal, local agencies and governmental entities.

    Division commander visits North Dakota projects

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr and St. Paul District Commander Col. Dan Koprowski visited the cities of Minot and Devils Lake, North Dakota, July 6-8, to meet with members of Congress, state and local officials and to see Corps projects in the region.

  • December

    Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, Minneapolis, Minn.

    Draft Environmental Assessment available for closure of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock to Navigational Traffic

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in Minneapolis to all navigation. The action is mandated as a result of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 with the requirement that the lock be closed on or before June 10, 2015.

  • October

    Dredge Goetz performs emergency dredging in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River, July and August 2014.

    Dredge Goetz

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, uses the Dredge William L. Goetz to help maintain 850 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, 335 miles of the Illinois River and other inland rivers. The St. Paul District acquired it in the spring of 2005.

  • June

    The Dredge William A. Thompson leaves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers service base in Fountain City, Wis., for the last time June 12. The Thompson’s new home will be with the Community Development Alternatives, Inc., in Prairie du Chien, Wis.

    Dredge Thompson journeys to its new home

    District employees and retirees, river residents and those affectionately known as river rats lined the banks of the Upper Mississippi River to see the Dredge William A. Thompson make its final voyage June 12-13.The Thompson left the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers service base in Fountain City, Wis., June 12 and arrived at its final destination in

  • Dredge Thompson last voyage scheduled June 12

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Dredge William A. Thompson will begin its last voyage from Fountain City, Wis., on Tuesday, June 12, around 11 a.m.

  • February

    Dredge Thompson patterns tell a story of the district’s history

    A district team visited the Lock and Dam 5A warehouse in Fountain City, Wis., Nov. 15, 2013, to inventory a large pile of wooden patterns used for the Dredge William A. Thompson, which served the district from 1937 to 2006.

  • October

    St. Paul District Dredge William A. Thompson is launched at Dravo Corporation's shipyard in Pittsburgh, Penn.

    Dredge W.A. Thompson and early dredging

    In 1930 the 9-foot draft channel was legislated by Congress to increase commerce on the river. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction of the series of 29 locks and dams between St. Louis and Minneapolis, creating a stairway of water for river traffic. Since the river is constantly shifting its load of sand and sediment and tributaries along the way contribute more it is necessary to remove the material from the bottom of the channel to prevent a closure to navigation. This process of underwater excavation is called dredging.

  • May

    Photo of Alex Webb

    Eagan, Minnesota, resident receives national Army Corps of Engineers award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters selected Alex Webb, an attorney with the Corps of Engineers’ St. Paul District and Eagan, Minnesota, resident, as its 2024 recipient of the E. Manning Seltzer Award for his work on the Upper Mississippi River Dredged Material Management Program.
  • Heavy snow the last week of April and first week of May resulted in excessive tree damage, prompting the Corps of close the Highland Ridge Campground at the Eau Galle Dam and Recreation Site, located in Spring Valley, Wis.

    Eau Galle campground closed due to storm damage

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, closed its Highland Ridge Campground at the Eau Galle Dam and Recreation Site, located in Spring Valley, Wis., last week due to excessive storm damage.

  • Eau Galle campground reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is reopening its Highland Ridge Campground at the Eau Galle Dam and Recreation Site, located in Spring Valley, Wis., tomorrow, May 23. The campground was closed the first week of May after the park received more than 14 inches of heavy snowfall that resulted in extensive tree damage.

  • February

    Eau Galle Recreation and Dam using geothermal power to go green

    SPRING VALLEY, Wis. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District’s Eau Galle Recreation and Dam is going green by using geothermal energy.

  • April

    Eau Galle Recreation Area hours cut due to vandalism

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is cutting hours of operation at the main day use area at Eau Galle Recreation Area near Spring Valley, Wisconsin, due to a recent sting of vandalism.

  • May

    Eau Galle Recreation Area open for business, Blackhawk Park remains closed

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, re-opened the Eau Galle Recreation Area campground, near Spring Valley, Wisconsin, the week of April 22.

  • October

    Engineering the Falls: The Corps of Engineers' Role at St. Anthony Falls

    People have always been drawn to the power and beauty of St. Anthony Falls. For Native Americans, the falls possessed religious significance and harbored powerful spirits. For the early European and American explorers, the falls provided a landmark in a vast wilderness, as well as an interesting geological phenomenon. During the 19th century, settlers, tourists and artists were drawn to St. Anthony Falls' picturesque beauty, while entrepreneurs seized the water power of the falls for their lumber and flour mills. Meanwhile, promoters of river transportation viewed St. Anthony Falls as an obstacle to be overcome, as they dreamed of extending navigation on the Mississippi River above Minneapolis.

  • May

    CROSSLAKE, Minn., -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District's Cross Lake Recreation Area offers a variety of recreational opportunities for people of all ages. Whether you are looking to cool off during the hot summer by swimming in the lake, or you want to cast a line a catch a fish, there is something for everyone.

    Enjoy America’s Waterways, Play It Safe and Return Home Alive

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Before you head out for a day on or near the water, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, encourages you to make sure you have life jackets for everyone and that you wear them.

  • December

    Environmental Assessment available for public review and comment for proposed fish passage project at Drayton Dam

    SAINT PAUL, MINN. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is proposing to implement fish passage at Drayton Dam as a mitigation feature for the proposed Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., Metropolitan flood risk management project.

  • August

    Environmental Assessment available for public review and comment for proposed Wild Rice Dam Removal

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is proposing to remove Wild Rice Dam as a mitigation feature for the proposed Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., flood risk management project. The flood risk management project could potentially impact fish of the Wild Rice River and removing Wild Rice Dam has been proposed to improve fish movement and reduce potential adverse effects.

  • June

    Environmental Assessment public meeting for proposed Fargo-Moorhead diversion project

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in cooperation with the Flood Diversion Board of Authority, will host a meeting June 25 to discuss the latest Environmental Assessment for the proposed Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., Metropolitan Flood Risk Management Plan.

  • January

    Environmental Infrastructure projects in North Dakota receive $12 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Plan

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, received $12 million for three water supply and sanitary sewer infrastructure projects in northern and eastern North Dakota in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, Plan released this week.

  • February

    Walking on water? Not quite. One aspect of the Corps of Engineers not often seen is our Environmental Management Program. Here, a bulldozer moves dredge material to create islands in the Mississippi River. Specifically, the Capoli Slough Habitat Restoration project is located in Pool 9, downstream of Lansing, Iowa, on the Wisconsin side of the river, where erosion from wave action and main channel flows is reducing the size of wetland areas. This has resulted in the loss of aquatic vegetation and the shallow habitats important for the survival of many species of fish and wildlife. The project is broken down into two stages, and consists of creating 12 islands, improving backwater habitat, bank stabilization and other measures to improve the habitability. Once completed, the project will be turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for day-to-day management.

    Environmental Management Program reaches 25 years

    The Pool 8 Islands construction project on the Upper Mississippi River near Brownsville, Minn., is scheduled for completion this summer and the first stage of construction at Capoli Slough, downstream of Lansing, Iowa, is scheduled to start this spring. Both projects are part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program, known as the EMP.
  • Members of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers look at aerial maps of the Mississippi River while conducting a tour to see the island creation process in action.

    Evolution of a new approach on how engineers design

    A temporary end to design and construction activities in Pool 8 will occur this summer as the Corps focuses on other areas of the Upper Mississippi River, including Pool 9, said Novak. The success of the Pool 8 project and other EMP projects have paved the way for new designs and construction techniques.

  • November

    Expansion of the regulatory mission

    The Department of the Army Regulatory Program is one of the oldest organizations within the federal government. Initially, its purpose was to protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the nation's waters. The St. Paul District’s regulatory role in protecting Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s water resources has evolved and expanded greatly since the program began regulating commerce and navigation on the Upper Mississippi River in 1866.

  • December

    A web ad for the Fall 2021 issue of Crosscurrents, the district's newsletter

    Fall 2021 Crosscurrents

    The Fall 2021 issue of Crosscurrents, the district's newsletter, is now available here: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Media/Crosscurrents/
  • The Fall 2022 issue of Crosscurrents is now available!

    Fall 2022 Crosscurrents

    The Fall 2022 issue of Crosscurrents, the district's newsletter, is now available here: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Media/Crosscurrents/

  • June

    Fargo-Moorhead diversion channel project receives federal authorization

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Fargo, N.D/Moorhead, Minn., diversion channel project achieved another milestone today, June 10, when President Barack Obama signed the Water Resource Reform and Development Act of 2014 into law, authorizing construction of the project.

  • February

    Fargo-Moorhead diversion project receives $100 million in Corps work plan

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, received $100 million to continue work on the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Flood Risk Management Project in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan released yesterday.

  • May

    Fargo-Moorhead diversion project receives $20 million in Corps work plan

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, received $20 million to continue construction of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Flood Risk Management Project in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2017 Work Plan released late yesterday.

  • January

    Fargo-Moorhead diversion project receives $437 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act plan

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, received $437 million to complete work on the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Flood Risk Management Project in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, Plan released today.

  • February

    Fargo-Moorhead diversion project receives federal funding for construction

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota, flood risk management project achieved another milestone today, Feb. 9, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its 2016 Work Plan which includes construction funding in the amount of $5 million for the project.

  • August

    Fargo-Moorhead project team receives national Corps of Engineers’ award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., recently named the St. Paul District Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project Delivery Team as its “USACE 2022 Project Delivery Team of the Year for Excellence.”

  • March

    Federal and local leaders invite the community to remember 1997 flood; celebrate groundbreaking on federal project

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Board of Authority invite the public to a 1997 Flood Commemoration and Groundbreaking Ceremony at 1 p.m., Monday, April 17.

  • April

    Federal and local leaders invite the community to remember 1997 flood; celebrate groundbreaking on federal project

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Board of Authority invite the public to a 1997 Flood Commemoration and Groundbreaking Ceremony at 1 p.m., today at the future site of the diversion project’s inlet control structure.

  • July

    BRAINERD, Minn. – Robert Burns, Gull Lake Recreation Area summer ranger, picks up debris following a July 12 storm that dropped nearly 1,000 trees. The park, on the southeast side of Gull Lake and near Brainerd, Minnesota, had campers at 26 campsites when the storm arrived around 7 p.m. Despite damage to a few vehicles and buildings, there were no injuries to any of the staff of campers.

    Fierce storm destroys vehicles, trees

    A Sunday evening storm caused severe damage to the Gull Lake Recreation Area July 12.

  • November

    Finding a way to make it possible – deer hunt for the physically disabled

    The 10th annual physically disabled and veterans deer hunt took place on the wildlife sanctuary within the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, Orwell Dam and Recreation Area, near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, from Nov. 14 to 16, 2017.

  • March

    First barge of the 2022 navigation season making its way through Lake Pepin

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel Aubrey B. Harwell, Jr., is breaking its way through the ice of Lake Pepin today to become the first boat to kick off the unofficial start of the 2022 navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River.
  • A tow boat navigates the Mississippi River.

    First barge of the 2023 navigation season arrives in St. Paul, Minnesota

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the Motor Vessel Phillip M Pfeffer with six barges through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 12, en route to St. Paul, Minnesota. The lockage marks the unofficial start to the 2023 Upper Mississippi River navigation season.

  • November

    First in the nation contract awarded for an environmental project under the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $324,000 contract today to Togiak Management Services of Anchorage, Alaska, to complete a wing dam modification project in Pool 2 of the Mississippi River downstream of St. Paul, Minnesota.

  • March

    Towboat at night in Lock and Dam 2

    First Mississippi River towboat kicks off 2024 navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the Motor Vessel Joseph Patrick Eckstein with 12 barges through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 17, en route to St. Paul, Minnesota.
  • HASTINGS, Minn. -- The Motor Vessel Stephen L. Colby locks through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, March 9. The vessel is the first tow of the 2017 navigation season to reach Lock 2. Her final destination is St. Paul, Minnesota.

    First tow boat of 2017 Mississippi River navigation season set to reach St. Paul, Minnesota

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel Stephen L. Colby locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, today around 6 a.m. She was pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota.

  • April

    HASTINGS, Minn. –The Motor Vessel Roberta Tabor locks through Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 8. The tow was the first to break through the ice at Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River and arrive in St. Paul, Minn. Traditionally, the first tow to break through the ice marks the unofficial start to the navigation season for the Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District.

    First tow breaks through Lake Pepin, heading toward St. Paul

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The first up-bound tow of the 2013 navigation season crushed through more than 12 to 16 inches of ice at Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River early this morning.

  • March

    First tow breaks through Lake Pepin, on its way to St. Paul, Minn.

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The first up-bound tow boat and barges for the opening of 2012 navigation season crunched through up to 10 inches of ice at Lake Pepin on the Mississippi River early this morning.
  • The Motor Vessel R. Clayton McWhorter

    First tow marks the open of the 2021 navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel R. Clayton McWhorter, originating from the Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois and pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota, was locked through Lock and Dam 3, near Welch, Minnesota, today around 1:45 p.m. The tow marks the unofficial start of the 2021 navigation season.
  • The Motor Vessel Ronald Wagonblast locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., Sunday, March 13, around 7:30 a.m. She was pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minn. The Corps considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., as the unofficial start of the navigation season, because it means all of its locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels. The earliest date for an up-bound tow to reach Lock and Dam 2 was March 4, in 1983, 1984 and 2000. The average start date of the navigation season is March 22.

    First tow marks unofficial opening to navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel Ronald Wagonblast locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., Sunday, March 13, around 7:30 a.m. She was pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minn.
  • M/V New Dawn broke through Lake Pepin ice overnight and locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, around 7:45 on March 25, 2015, marking the unofficial start to the navigation season for the Upper Mississippi River. The American River Transportation Company boat was pushing nine barges loaded with fertilizer.

    First tow marks unofficial opening to navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 2015 Mississippi River navigation season has arrived. The Motor Vessel New Dawn locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, at 7:45 a.m. this morning. She was pushing nine loaded barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota.

  • April

    Motor Vessel Michael Poindexter locks through Lock and Dam 2

    First tow of 2018 reaches St. Paul, Minnesota, opening Upper Mississippi River navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel Michael Poindexter, pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, today around 1:30 p.m.

  • First tow of the season advances past Lock and Dam 2 to the Port of St. Paul

    The Motor Vessel Aaron F. Barrett, pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota, was locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, today around 7 a.m.

  • February

    Matt Bray and Tim Grundhoffer, engineering; Pete Corkin, Rock Island District; U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy; Col. Mike Wonsik, St. Paul District commander; and Maj. Gen. Russell Fuhrman, Mississippi Valley Division, at Breckenridge, Minn., during the floods of 1997. --USACE St. Paul District File Photo

    Flood of ’97 overwhelms Wahpeton/Breckenridge

    (originally published in the October-November 2007 Crosscurrents) Engineering division’s Matt Bray and Tim Grundhoffer fought two swiftly rising rivers, blizzard conditions and extreme temperatures only to be overcome by conditions beyond their control and to lose portions of a town not just once, but twice, in the same flood. Bray, a geotech engineer, and Grundhoffer, a structural engineer, were assigned as flood subarea engineers in Wahpeton, N.D., and Breckenridge, Minn., during the 1997 floods that wreaked havoc across the Red River Valley. Although they worked together closely, Bray worked primarily in Wahpeton and Grundhoffer in Breckenridge. Pete Corkin, from Rock Island District, assisted them.

  • June

    Flooding forces closure of Corps of Engineers’ Blackhawk Park

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is temporarily closing its Blackhawk Park, located near De Soto, Wisconsin, due to high river levels.

  • May

    Floodplain forests provide habitat, recreation and mitigation

    The St. Paul District environmental stewardship section has been busy lately planting trees near Bay City, Wis. The reforestation project began as a way to mitigate floodplain forest and wetlands that were lost due to the nearly $70 million dollars in renovations to Lock and Dam 3, near Red Wing, Minn.