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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
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St. Paul, MN 55101

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Public review of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock disposition study paused

Published Jan. 7, 2021
Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam

Aerial view of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minn. Sept. 26, 2007. The oblique view is looking downstream, south.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is pausing its public review of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam disposition study to allow the study team to update the  draft report to reflect new legislation passed by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020.

The Water Resources Development Act of 2020, or WRDA 2020, signed into law Dec. 27, 2020, authorizes the Secretary of the Army to convey lands adjacent to the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock to the city of Minneapolis, and provide additional licenses over the lock structures for recreation, tourism and interpretative purposes.

Once updated, the draft report will be re-posted on our website:  https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/MplsLocksDisposition/. A separate news release will be issued when the report is available for public review and comment.

The St. Paul District released its initial draft report Dec. 16, 2020. In the report, the Corps’ tentatively selected plan recommended full disposal of the federal project at Upper St. Anthony Falls combined with providing a monetary incentive to expedite the disposal.

WRDA 2020 does not change the Corps’ recommendation for complete disposal of the federal project at Upper St. Anthony Falls nor its obligation to complete the disposition study.

The St. Paul District anticipates additional guidance on WRDA 2020 in the next several months. In accordance with the law, we will conduct a survey and determine what land can be transferred to the city as soon as possible.

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Release no. 21-001