Corps of Engineers to test Orwell Dam Friday, May 12

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will test the gates at its Orwell Dam, located near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, tomorrow, Friday, May 12.

The testing will involve raising and lowering the gates of the dam so that fluctuations in the river may be seen. Outflow from the lake will remain at or below channel capacity, 1,200 cubic feet per second, or cfs. Today’s outflow is 1,1000 cfs.

The Corps of Engineers completed building Orwell Dam in 1953 for the purpose of flood control. Today, the Corps also offers recreation at this site in the form of two day-use areas. For more information, see: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Orwell-Lake/.

The nearly 600 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 St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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