17 Apr 2025

Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoirs, Minnesota

The Mississippi River Headwaters Project consists of six headwaters dams in north-central Minnesota. The dams were constructed or reconstructed between 1884 and 1913 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.