Corps prepares for final construction repairs at Lac qui Parle Dam

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is nearing completion of repairs to Lac qui Parle Dam, near Watson, Minnesota. 

The final repairs involve placing large rock immediately downstream of the dam to reduce the potential for erosion. Work is expected to start no later than Feb. 27. Once these repairs are complete, the Corps will again be able to use the entire dam as designed. This will include using bays 9 – 12.  

In order to complete the rock placement, the Corps needs to reduce flows immediately downstream of the dam so construction workers can safely work in the area. The work is expected to last no more than two days. The lake elevation may raise 1-2 feet during the construction due to the reduced water releases and current inflows coming into the lake. The lake is currently at elevation 934.07 as of Feb. 17.  

Ice conditions are expected to become unsafe as a result of the lake elevation changes and the warmer weather that is forecast during the next week. The Corps directs all ice houses be removed from Lac qui Parle Lake as soon as possible but no later than Sunday, Feb. 26.  

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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