Corps of Engineers will conduct snow surveys in preparation for spring flooding

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A survey team with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will begin collecting snow surveys throughout the region Feb. 24 - March 6.

The team is taking the surveys to assist Corps’ water management officials in determining how much water is contained within the snowpack this year. This information is shared with other agencies such as the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey and helps determine what steps can be taken to reduce flood risks across the region.

The team will begin in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and make a counterclockwise trip around the region. This area includes most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Additionally, Corps of Engineers park rangers are taking snow surveys in the Mississippi River Headwaters region. The snow survey process involves going to a predetermined location, collecting snow through a tube and weighing the melted snow to determine how much water is contained within the snowpack.

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