Minneapolis locks reopen to recreational traffic

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, has reopened its Minneapolis locks to recreational vessels.

This morning Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, in downtown Minneapolis, and Lock and Dam 1, located near Minnehaha Falls, saw flows drop below the 30,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs. 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 still relatively high. Submerged logs and other debris below the water’s surface can cause severe damage to water craft and passengers. Always wear a life vest, as events can happen quickly.

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 Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.