9 Apr 2024

Dam Safety Program: Minnesota

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.

3 Apr 2024

Flood Plain Management Services: Minnesota

The program educates individuals who live and work in floodplains on flood hazards and the actions they can take to reduce property damage and prevent the loss of life. The program’s objective is to foster public understanding of the options for dealing with flood hazards and to promote prudent use and management of the nation’s floodplains.

16 Apr 2020

Lac qui Parle Dam Emergency Spillway; Watson, Minnesota

The Lac qui Parle dike and emergency spillway is designed to retain the Lac qui Parle Reservoir during times of flood but is designed for overtopping during extreme events. The overtop elevation of the spillway is 940.75 feet. The Lac qui Parle Dam is located on the upper Minnesota River 30 miles east of the South Dakota border. The dam is about seven river miles upstream of Montevideo, Minnesota. The dike and emergency spillway is adjacent to and west of the dam between the dam and County Hwy 75. The damaged area of the spillway extends approximately 2,500 feet from the dam.

27 Sep 2021

Minnesota River Navigation Project

The St. Paul District is responsible for maintaining the 9-foot navigation channel on the Minnesota River from the mouth in St. Paul, Minnesota , to river mile 14.7 in Savage, Minnesota, and 4-foot channel depth from river mile 14.7 to 25.6 in Shakopee, Minnesota. Annual channel maintenance actions are required to maintain the congressionally authorized 9-foot channel depth. These channel maintenance activities consist of dredging, snag removal, and close monitoring of the conditions. The St. Paul District dredges approximately 23,000 cubic yards of material per year from seven distinct locations on the Minnesota River. Both government and contract hydraulic and mechanical dredges are used. Dredged material placement is planned for the long-term and is actively managed to maximize beneficial use of the material and to minimize adverse environmental impacts within the riverine environment.

4 Apr 2022

National Loon Center and Shoreline Protection Project, Crosslake, Minnesota

The Cross Lake Recreation Area is located at 35507 County Road 66 in Crosslake, Minnesota. The National Loon Center Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, is proposing the construction of a 15,000 square-foot National Loon Center Facility as well as 3,100 linear feet of shoreline protection efforts at the Cross Lake Recreation Area.

15 Apr 2024

Operations & Maintenance: Lake Traverse Repairs Modernization Project

The St. Paul District staff has been conducting field investigations, developing hydrologic and hydraulic models and developing plans and specifications for the three sites as well as the water control manual update. The White Rock Dam modernization project will be ready for contract award in May 2025. The Reservation Dam and Browns Valley Dike work will be completed and awarded in 2025. The Water Control Manual update will be complete in 2025.

27 Sep 2021

Planning Assistance to States: Big Sandy Lake Fish Movement, Aitkin County, Minnesota

The purpose of the study is to: • Estimate escapement rates through the dam of fish from Big Sandy Lake in relation to environmental and chronological conditions • Estimate the proportion of the fish population that remain in the lake compared with those that move upriver in the watershed • Estimate mortality rates of fish • Estimate angler harvest of Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch in Big Sandy Lake • Monitor population dynamics for Walleye, Northern Pike, Tullibee, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch

27 Sep 2021

Planning Assistance to States: Red River Basin Comprehensive Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of various flood risk reduction measures basin-wide to reduce main stem peak flows by 20% for the larger rare events such as the 0.5 (200-year) and 0.2% (500-year) chance of exceedance floods.

9 Apr 2024

Planning Assistance to States: Red River Main Stem Bathymetry

The purpose of this study is to gather 444 river miles of main stem channel bathymetry data from White Rock Dam to the Canadian border for the Bois de Sioux and Red River of the North. That data will be combined with terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, data of the adjacent terrain to provide a seamless elevation data set for planning studies.

27 Sep 2021

Planning Assistance to States: Valley Branch Watershed District, Landlocked Basin Study, Minnesota

The Valley Branch Watershed District (VBWD) project is a comprehensive planning study to assess water level management options for nine landlocked lakes and ponds at risk for flooding in Washington County, Minnesota. This study identifies and assesses alternatives to manage high-water conditions to protect homes, roadways, sewage systems, and other critical infrastructure in the VBWD.

24 Nov 2020

Pool 2 Wing Dam Modification Project, Upper Mississippi River Pool 2, Minnesota

This project will notch a series of wing dams throughout Pool 2 in order to improve main channel border habitat for fishes. Wing dam notching will enable downstream scouring, which creates overwintering habitat. The project area is in the middle and lower half of Pool 2, Upper Mississippi River, downstream of St. Paul, Minnesota; spanning Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties, Minnesota.

24 Nov 2020

Tribal Partnership Program: Lower Sioux Indian Community

The study will assess the problems and opportunities being faced by the Lower Sioux Indian Community on their tribal lands and make recommendations related to erosion along the Minnesota River adjacent to and impacting those lands. The Lower Sioux Indian Community is located south of the Minnesota River in Redwood County, approximately 2 miles south of the city of Morton, Minnesota.

27 Sep 2021

Tribal Partnership Program: Red Lake Fish Passage & Wetland Restoration, Red Lake River, Minnesota

The study will address the degradation of culturally significant habitat faced by the Red Lake Nation on their tribal lands along the Red Lake River and the Zah Gheeng Marsh. The study will assess and make recommendations related to fish passage through a low-head dam and habitat restoration opportunities within the Zah Gheeng Marsh along the Red Lake River.

15 Apr 2024

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Robinson Lake, Pool 4, Minnesota - Habitat Restoration

The proposed project goal is to maintain, enhance, and create habitat suitable for native and desirable, aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. The Robinson Lake area has lost bathymetric diversity, floodplain forest patch size, connectivity, and interior forest habitat over time. Island creation/enhancement and dredging would be the primary tools used to counter-act the losses. Increasing wild celery beds and perennial emergent vegetation would also be a goal within the lake to increase opportunities for migratory waterfowl. The project seeks to protect, enhance, restore, or create backwater and flowing channel habitats that provide diverse flow conditions and sediment dynamics that will benefit native fish (including migratory species) and mussel populations. The project seeks to protect and enhance diverse bottomland forest that will benefit migratory and resident birds and other species. The project also seeks to maintain or increase quantity and diversity of submerged, emergent, and rooted floating leaved vegetation.