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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Programs & Project Management
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

(651) 290-5755

cemvp-pm@usace.army.mil

Corps of Engineers closes Minneapolis locks to ALL traffic again

Published May 12, 2014
Mississippi River flows at 40,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, over the spillway at Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, June 27, 2013.
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Mississippi River flows at 40,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, over the spillway at Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, June 27, 2013.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closing its three Minneapolis locks to commercial navigation again because of unsafe water currents. 

The locks – Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls locks and dams and Lock and Dam 1 – were reopened to commercial traffic May 9, but the Corps needs to close them again because the Mississippi River flows surpassed 40,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs, this morning, May 12. The three locks were closed to recreation boaters Sunday, April 27, when flows exceeded 30,000 cfs. 

Based on the National Weather Service forecast, the Corps hopes to reopen the three locks to commercial traffic by the end of the week. The locks will continue to be closed to recreational traffic until flows are below 30,000 cfs. There is currently no forecast as to when this will happen. 

According to the Corps' Mississippi Valley Division lock and dam regulation manual, the district is required to close the lock and dams to recreational traffic at 30,000 cfs because the high flows are unsafe. Commercial traffic at these locks is shut down at 40,000 cfs.

The Corps reminds boaters to exercise caution and be vigilant when boating in the area, because the Mississippi River currents are high. Submerged logs and other debris below the water’s surface can cause severe damage. Always wear your life vest, as events can happen quickly. 

The nearly 650 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 Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

 

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Release no. 14-034