Purpose
The Mississippi River Headwaters Project consists of six headwaters dams in north-central Minnesota. Cross Lake, Gull Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish, Pokegama Lake, and Leech Lake make up the system. The dams were constructed or reconstructed between 1884 and 1913 (original structures were timber construction and converted to concrete in the 1900s, except for the Gull Lake Dam, which was initially built in 1913 with concrete) to aid navigation on the Mississippi River between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Because the navigation mission of the headwaters dams declined with the creation of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Navigation Channel and recreation grew in importance to the region’s economy, the mission shifted to flood risk management, recreation, and environmental stewardship.
Location
The project targets north-central Minnesota, with projects near the towns of Cross Lake, Brainerd, McGregor, Deer River, Grand Rapids, and Federal Dam.
Description
The project includes six U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed campgrounds and several day-use areas. The project’s multiple-use water resource management (flood risk management, recreation, and environmental stewardship) affects several communities, thousands of property owners, countless recreational users, resource agencies, industry, the general public, and Native American communities. Since their construction, the reservoirs in the headwaters have prevented $66 million in flood damages.
Status
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding was utilized to repair the toe ditch drain at Winnibigoshish Dam in 2024. Boundary surveying of fee lands will continue at Sandy Lake in 2025, with surveys completed at Pokegama, Cross Lake, and Sandy Lake in 2024. Road realignment and closures were completed at Gull Lake in fall 2024. A Sustainable Rivers Program initiative is underway in 2025 to study the impact of headwaters reservoir operations on wild rice (manoomin). A preliminary engineering report is underway for Leech Lake Dam, anticipating a fiscal year 2026 completion.
Authority
The River and Harbor Acts of June 14, 1880 (21 Stat. 180), and August 2, 1882 (22 Stat. 191), authorized the construction of the six dams. Congress directed the Secretary of War to establish regulations governing their operation through the River and Harbor Act of August 11, 1888.
Funding
Fiscal year 2024 $5,590,530
Fiscal year 2025
Allocation $4,839,120
Fiscal year 2026
Full budget request $26,689,000