Example of a dam in the St. Paul District.
Purpose
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Program can be traced to the National Dam Inspection Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-367). The Dam Safety Program has been updated numerous times, including via the National Dam Safety Program Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-260) and 33 U.S. Code 467. Most elements of the program still closely abide by the Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety (1979), with the most notable development in the last decade related to risk assessments to better prioritize actions and communicate the safety status of dams. The overlying purpose of dam safety is to ensure the integrity and viability of dams such that they do not present unacceptable risks to the public, property, and the environment.
Description
The Dam Safety Program focuses on inspections and risk assessments. Inspections include a routine program of surveillance and monitoring that includes soundings, surveys, measurements with special instrumentation, divings, and camera inspections. Most dams owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been inspected on 5-year intervals, although new guidance will transition inspections for low-hazard dams to 10-year intervals. Low-hazard dams in Minnesota include the Sandy, Gull, Reservation, Watson Sag and Highway 75 dams. The inspections and risk assessments inform and help prioritize repair and rehabilitation needs.
Status
Periodic Assessments are being completed at Browns Valley, Lac qui Parle, and Winnibigoshish dams in 2026. In 2025 and 2026, contracts were awarded for replacement of spillway armoring at Lac qui Parle Dam, and this work is ongoing. In 2025, a partial dewatering was completed at Orwell Dam to complete maintenance and repairs, which included replacing gate chains critical to the operation of the project. An in-channel weir was constructed at Lock and Dam 7 in 2025 to reduce outdraft for navigation. Lock 7 was dewatered in December 2025 for scheduled maintenance while navigation was closed for the season. Funding requests were submitted for fiscal year 2027 for spillway rehabilitation at Marsh Lake Dam, bridge deck and gate modernization at White Rock Dam, and various programmatic improvements on the Mississippi River. The development of plans and specifications for rehabilitation at Pokegama, Leech Lake and Gull Lake dams were funded in 2025.
Dams in St. Paul District Portfolio
The dams in the St. Paul District that are federally authorized, operated and maintained in Minnesota are as follows:
Mississippi River Headwaters — Leech Lake Dam, Winnibigoshish Dam, Pokegama Dam, Pine River Dam (Cross Lake), Gull Lake Dam and Sandy Lake Dam
Red Lake Dam
Orwell Dam
Lac qui Parle Project — Lac qui Parle Dam, Marsh Lake Dam, Chippewa Diversion and Watson Sag Weir
Big Stone Project — Highway 75 Dam
Traverse Project — White Rock Dam, Reservation Dam and Browns Valley Dike
Mississippi River — Upper St. Anthony Falls, Lower St. Anthony Falls, Lock and Dam 1 (Minneapolis), Lock and Dam 2 (Hastings), Lock and Dam 3 (Red Wing), Lock and Dam 5 (Winona) and Lock and Dam 7 (La Crescent)
See the National Inventory of Dams for more information: https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/