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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

  • May

    UPDATE: Corps postpones Marsh Lake project completion ceremony

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Upper Minnesota River Watershed District will celebrate the completion of the Marsh Lake environmental enhancement project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 14, at 11 a.m. This is an update from the previous date of May 17. This event is postponed due to recent rain and storm events, which have made it unsafe to access the site.

  • March

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

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Motor Vessel W. Red Harris 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. The W. Red Harris has passed the Motor Vessel Aubrey B. Harwell.

  • July

    UPDATE: Locks and Dams 1 and 3 are now open

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, announced today that Lock and Dam 1, in Minneapolis, is now open to all commercial traffic, and Lock and Dam 3, in Welch, Minnesota, is open to navigation traffic. Be advised that Lock and Dam 1 flows are at 30,000 cubic feet per second with floating debris creating potentially hazardous conditions for recreational traffic; therefore, the lock is closed to recreational traffic until water flows decrease and the excessive amount of floating debris is reduced.

  • April

    UPDATE: Lower Pool 10 restoration project groundbreaking and open house canceled

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, announced today that it is canceling the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lower Pool 10 habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project that was scheduled for April 22, due to the Corps’ travel restrictions.

  • June

    An aerial image of a lock and dam on a river

    UPDATE: Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam now open

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, announced today that Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, in Minneapolis, is now open to all traffic. It was previously closed due to electrical issues with the fourth gate.

  • January

    Upper and Lower Saint Anthony Falls lock and dam statistics released for the 2011 navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Exactly 3,709 vessels and 764,951 tons of cargo passed through Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and 2,582 vessels and 766,553 tons of cargo passed through Lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, both located in Minneapolis, during the 2011 navigation season from March 31-Dec. 3.

  • June

    2022 Status and Trends Report Cover Image

    Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers Experiencing Widespread and Regional Changes

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District; and the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with others, have released a report regarding the Ecological Status and Trends of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

  • November

    A towboat pushes two barges through a loch chamber.

    Upper Mississippi River 2020 navigation season comes to an end

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked its last tow of the season today, Nov. 30, to end the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River.
  • A motor vessel pushing barges on a river.

    Upper Mississippi River 2021 navigation season comes to an end

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the last tow to depart St. Paul, Minnesota, yesterday, Nov. 23 – ending the 2021 navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River.

  • December

    big boat in the water pushing many boxes down a river.

    Upper Mississippi River navigation season closes for the year

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, saw the last tow of the 2023 navigation season as the Motor Vessel Thomas Erickson, departed Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa, Dec. 3, with 15 barges.

  • Upper Mississippi River navigation season closes for the year

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, saw the last barge of the year, the Motor Vessel Ashley Danielson, depart Lock and Dam 2, Dec. 1, at 11:48 a.m., ending the 2024 navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River.

  • November

    The Motor Vessel Marquette Hilltopper is locked through Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 20.

    Upper Mississippi River navigation season coming to an end

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will officially close the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River Dec. 3.

  • Upper Mississippi River navigation season ends for the Twin Cities

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the last tow of the season for the St. Paul, Minn., area today, Nov. 27.
  • Motor Vessel Michael Poindexter locks through Lock and Dam 2

    Upper Mississippi River navigation season set to close

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is urging all navigation enthusiasts within the Upper Mississippi River to prepare for the upcoming navigation closure.

  • May

    A view of the Illinois River at Peoria, Illinois, during the 2013 flood event using the new Upper Mississippi River System Hydraulic Model in the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS).

    Upper Mississippi River System Hydraulic Model Update Complete

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island, St. Paul and St. Louis districts recently completed a seven-year effort to develop an updated, standardized hydraulic model for the Upper Mississippi River System, including the Illinois Waterway. The model can be used to evaluate and communicate the effects of floodplain modifications to provide better predictability and more consistent flood risk management for the Upper Mississippi River System.

  • July

    Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam to host Aquatennial open house

    St. Paul District, will host an open house at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, located at One Portland Avenue in Minneapolis, Saturday, July 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. This open house is being held in conjunction with the Minneapolis Aquatennial.

  • August

    The end of an era was witnessed at 11:17 p.m., June 9, 2015, when the last boat, a recreation craft, locked through the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, signed June 10, 2014, directed the Corps of Engineers to close Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock to navigation within one year of the act being signed into law. In 1937, Congress authorized the Minneapolis Upper Harbor Project which extended the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Navigation Project an additional 4.6 miles by constructing two locks to lift vessels over St. Anthony Falls. The Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock was completed in 1963.

    Upper St. Anthony Falls makes final lockage

    The end of an era was witnessed when the last boat, a recreation boater, locked through Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis June 9 at 11:17 p.m.

  • May

    A large skin plate at a construction site.

    USACE assembles Tainter gate puzzle at Red River Structure

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and its contractors continue to make strides in construction on the Red River structure, seven miles south of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, on the Red River of the North.
  • A woman kneels on the ground with a tree in her hands.

    USACE celebrates Earth Day with tree planting at restoration project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and agency partners celebrated Earth Day, April 22, with a tree planting at McGregor Lake Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project, near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

  • June

    USACE Opens Updated National Levee Database

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) today opened the updated National Levee Database (NLD) for public access. The NLD is a living, dynamic information source that provides visualization and search capability on the location and condition of levee systems nationwide.

  • September

    An inlet structure with three gates seen from around 100 feet.

    USACE project receives National Academy of Construction award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project has been selected as the recipient of the National Academy of Construction Recognition of Special Achievement Award.

  • January

    USACE Publishes Policy Update for Inundation Maps and the National Inventory of Dams

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published Engineer Circular 1110-2-6075, “Inundation Maps and Emergency Action Plans and Incident Management for Dams and Levee Systems,” in October. This update allows for the use and public dissemination of inundation maps in emergency action plans (EAP) and the National Inventory of Dams (NID), It also provides the dam safety community access to critical information about residual flood risks from USACE dams and levees.

  • August

    Vadnais Heights resident earns national engineering award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C., recently selected Vadnais Heights, Minn., resident and St. Paul District employee Kent Hokens as the recipient of the inaugural U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Structural Engineer of the Year Award.

  • May

    Visitor center to re-open, lockages to resume at Lock and Dam 1

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will re-open its visitor center at Lock and Dam 1, in Minneapolis, and begin locking all vessels May 25.

  • September

    MINNEAPOLIS -- Tim Tabery, operations, left, explains to a group of visitors how the lock and dam is operated during an open house at Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis, July 19.

    Visitors get hands-on opportunity during Lock and Dam 1 open house

    The St. Paul District hosted its annual open house at Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis in conjunction with the annual Highland Fest, celebrated by the St. Paul, Minn., Highland neighborhood, July 19.

  • February

    Volunteers and veterans with the Wounded Warrior Project participated in the second deer hunt at the Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 14.

    Volunteers support second Wounded Warrior Hunt at Eau Galle Recreation Area

    District staff volunteered their time Dec. 14, 2013, to support the second Wounded Warrior Hunt at Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis.

  • January

    construction equipment scoops sand into a bucket atop a larger pile of sand.

    Wabasha, Corps partnership in managing Mississippi River dredged sand pays dividends

    The Upper Mississippi River near Wabasha, Minnesota, is traditionally quiet during the winter as the river freezes, halting large tow boats shipping grains, fertilizer and other bulk commodities.

  • June

    Bulldozers move dredge material to create islands in the Mississippi River as part of the Capoli Slough Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project.

    Walking on water

    Walking on water? Not quite. One aspect of the Corps of Engineers not often seen is our Environmental Management Program.

  • December

    Picture of Roy Lawson, 2023 Hard Hat of the Year

    Warren, Minnesota, resident receives national engineering award

    Roy Lawson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, was selected as the 2023 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Hard Hat of the Year recipient.

  • May

    Water quality sampling to resume for Fargo-Moorhead project

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in cooperation with the Flood Diversion Board of Authority, will continue its water quality field surveys for the Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project starting this week.

  • August

    Water releases increased at Lac Qui Parle Dam

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, increased the outflow from its Lac Qui Parle Dam, located on the Minnesota River in west-central Minnesota, from 550 cubic feet per second, or cfs, to 2,500 cfs, Aug. 17.

  • July

    Water rescue underscores need for safety while celebrating the holiday

    With many people celebrating on the water this 4th of July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, extends a word of caution to everyone recreating – especially after a recent boat rescue at Lock and Dam 3 June 26.

  • January

    Water Resources Development Act of 2022 Implementation Guidance Update

    The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works is issuing this notice to update the public on the status of the implementation guidance for the 196 provisions in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022.

  • March

    Water Resources Development Act of 2024 public comment period

    The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works is issuing this notice to provide information on the public comment period and virtual public listening sessions on the implementation of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which was signed into law Jan. 4, 2025.

  • May

    Water safety is everyone’s business this Memorial Day weekend

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is encouraging water-vessel operators and passengers to take the safe-boating pledge and exercise caution while enjoying their favorite water-based activities this holiday weekend.

  • Watershed planning offers hope to challenging problems

    The district recently finished one of its first comprehensive watershed reports, the Sunrise Watershed Study, solely for environmental purposes and the benefit of watershed managers.

  • April

    Wausau, Wis., native receives engineering award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employee and Wausau, Wis., native, Kurt Heckendorf, was recently selected by the Minnesota Geotechnical Society as its Young Engineer of the Year for 2013.

  • May

    Wetlands provide more than scenic views of nature

    Have you ever wondered what wetlands actually do for society or the environment? Barbara Walther, senior ecologist, said these areas, a place between water and land, provide value to both communities and Mother Nature. She said wetlands support many benefits that range from habitat for plants and animals to water purification. “Wetlands provide a number of functions on the landscape,” she said. “Some of them are important to people directly, and a number of them are important just because of the function they provide.”

  • Wetlands support flood risk reduction

    While wetlands play an important role in providing habitat for a myriad of species and serve as a filter for aquifers, they also play an important role in reducing the impacts of floods.

  • December

    Bonnie Greenleaf receives an award

    White Bear Lake native receives Chief of Engineers 2016 Civil Responder of the Year award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters recently selected Bonnie Greenleaf, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, native, and St. Paul District project manager, as recipient of the Chief of Engineers 2016 Civil Responder of the Year award.

  • October

    FARGO, N.D. - Mark Wilmes, is the new St. Paul District recreation and natural resources chief.

    Wilmes returns to lead recreation, natural resources section

    After working in six different districts and four divisions during his 27-year career, the new St. Paul District recreation and natural resources chief has returned to where it all began.

  • May

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C., recently announced its selection of Corps St. Paul District employee and Winona, Minn., resident Eric Johnson as the recipient of its Construction Hard Hat of the Year Award.

    Winona, Minn., resident to receive national construction award

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Headquarters in Washington, D.C., recently announced its selection of Corps’ St. Paul District employee and Winona, Minn., resident Eric Johnson as the recipient of its Construction Hard Hat of the Year Award.

  • January

    Wintertime river recreation and ever-changing ice conditions: know the risks

    Given recent mild temperatures and the dynamic nature of moving water the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, reiterates that no ice is safe ice and conditions – particularly on the Mississippi River – are changing every day.

  • May

    Robert Altmann, St. Paul District security technician.

    Woodbury, Minn. resident selected for award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, recently selected Woodbury, Minn. resident and St. Paul District security technician, Robert Altmann for its 2020 Lt. Col. Ronald C. Francis Best Antiterrorism Program Manager Award and its 2020 Antiterrorism Honor Roll.

  • July

    Young anglers invited to 20th annual Blackhawk Park fishing derby

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting a free fishing derby on Aug. 4, 2018, at Blackhawk Park, near De Soto, Wis., for youth 12-years-old and younger.

  • Young anglers invited to annual Blackhawk Park fishing derby

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting a free fishing derby on Aug. 3, at Blackhawk Park, near De Soto, Wis., for youth 12-years-old and younger.