Corps of Engineers set to cut back releases from Lac Qui Parle Dam

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, plans to reduce outflows from the Lac Qui Parle Dam, near Watson, Minnesota, early next week.

Outflows from the dam are currently around 2,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs. The Corps plans to reduce the outflows to around 1,200 cfs as early as Monday.

The reservoir is currently at 934.3 feet at the Highway 40 gage. The Corps plans to reduce the reservoir elevation an additional six inches to create storage for the second phase of repairs at the dam later this month. The levels should remain within the normal winter operating elevations for rest of the winter.  

Due to changing water levels and river currents within the area, the Corps urges caution for people on and/or near the ice since conditions can deteriorate without notice.  

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 St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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