Photo of Lock and Dam 5 with potential location of deterrent.
Purpose
The purpose of the project is to reduce invasive carp passage through Lock 5 and ultimately slow the spread of invasive carp in the Mississippi River.
Location
The invasive carp deterrent would be installed at Lock 5 within the downstream approach channel, which is on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River.
Description
In 2024, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommended that the Minnesota State Legislature fund the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) to design and install an invasive carp deterrent at Lock and Dam 5. The MN DNR received $12 million from the state legislature, and the St. Paul District is cooperating with the state and their partners as they identify the path forward on this deterrent. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the MN DNR executed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement in the summer of 2025, which will allow the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the St. Paul District to design the invasive carp deterrent.
The invasive carp deterrent planned for Lock 5 is an underwater acoustic deterrent system (uADS), which is a sound-based deterrent selective to invasive carp. An experimental uADS installed at Lock 19 has shown to be approximately 50 percent effective at preventing invasive carp passage through the lock. Because deterrents are only 50 percent effective, MN DNR is developing a multi-pronged approach to limit upstream passage of invasive carp. Additional approaches include “trap and sort” systems, dam gate deterrents, and continued removal of invasive carp downstream of Lock 5.
The deterrent is being designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be compatible with lock operations and navigation.
For more information, please see the MN DNR project website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/carp/lock-and-dam-5-invasive-carp-deterrent-project.html.
Status
The project is currently in the design phase. A ready-to-advertise set of plans and specifications will be provided to MN DNR in February 2027.
Authority
Alterations and modification to Lock and Dam 5 are permitted by Section 4 U.S. Code Section 460d through a license for fish and wildlife activities.
The MN DNR will be responsible for obtaining Clean Water Act Sections 401 and 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permits prior to installation of the deterrent.
Funding
The project is being fully funded by the MN DNR via the Minnesota State Legislature.