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. The inspections and risk assessments inform and help prioritize repair and rehabilitation needs.
Status
In 2020, a risk assessment of Eau Galle Dam concluded that it was well built and continues to perform reliably. A liner in the conduit at Eau Galle was painted in 2019. Periodic Inspections are scheduled at Locks and Dams 8 and 9 in 2026. The Wisconsin locks and dams in the St. Paul District are in the process of a series of programmatic upgrades that include new miter gates with related anchorages in the operating locks, sheet pile crossings in the auxiliary locks, grouting of below-water rock cribs in the guidewalls with upgrading of the tow haulage rail, and adding end cells at some of the guidewalls. New miter gates are currently being fabricated for Lock 4 and Lock 9. New miter gates were installed at Lock 5A in 2022, Lock 8 in 2022 and Lock 6 in 2025. Budget requests for fiscal year 2027 include a package to replace the low flow gates and install a debris boom at Eau Galle Dam, as well as various programmatic improvements on the Mississippi River.
Dams in St. Paul District Portfolio
The dams in the St. Paul District that are federally authorized, operated and maintained in Wisconsin are as follows:
Eau Galle Dam
Mississippi River — Lock and Dam 4 (Alma), Lock and Dam 5A (Winona), Lock and Dam 6 (Trempealeau), 8 (Genoa), Lock and Dam 9 (Prairie du Chien) and Fountain City Service Base
See the National Inventory of Dams for more information: https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/#/