Corps seeks comments on Lock and Dam 7 weir construction

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking public comments on plans to construct a weir upstream from the auxiliary chamber at Lock and Dam 7, near La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The project is designed to reduce outdraft velocities at the upstream end of the lock chamber that pose a threat to safe navigation. Outdraft is the river’s current that pushes vessels away from the lock wall and towards the auxiliary lock and the gated portion of the dam. The weir structure is designed to reduce the outdraft velocities and minimize the potential for vessels colliding with the dam structure.

This project requires a review of environmental effects under the National Environmental Policy Act. A copy of the draft Environmental Assessment with a finding of no significant impact was coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state resource agencies prior to posting of the public notice. A final determination on the draft Environmental Assessment will be made following a 30-day public review period. A copy of the draft EA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District’s website at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx. 

The public review and comment period on the draft Environmental Assessment ends June 22. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to Eric Hanson, Corps ecologist, at 651-290-5386 or Eric.R.Hanson@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 Fifth St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, MN 55101-1678

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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