Corps to hold virtual public meeting on Upper St. Anthony Falls lock study

ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will host a virtual public meeting Wednesday, March. 3, starting at 2 p.m. central time, to solicit feedback on its draft Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam disposition study.

The event will be held via the Cisco WebEx on-line meeting platform. Instructions on how to participate in the meeting will be posted prior to the meeting at https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/MplsLocksDisposition/. The meeting format will include a 15- to 20-minute presentation with the remaining time dedicated to question and answer. Participants may pose questions during the meeting using the chat feature of Webex.

Participants are encouraged to view the “Virtual Public Meeting Pre-Brief Slideshow” posted under the ‘2021 Public Meeting Materials’ section of the disposition study webpage. The pre-brief slideshow gives a broad overview of the history of the project, the recommendations contained in the draft report and the purpose for the public meeting. A summary of this information will be shown at the public meeting.

More information about the study

The purpose of the disposition study is to determine whether or not continued operation and ownership of this lock by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the federal interest, and, if not, provide supporting information for deauthorization of the project purposes and disposal of the property. The study examined several options ranging from continuing operations as they are now and turning the entire facility or portions thereof over to other federal, state or local entities. The study was initiated in 2018 after the closing of this lock to navigation in 2015.

After evaluation and comparison of alternatives, the tentatively selected plan is the complete disposal of the property combined with a monetary incentive for expediting the disposal. The plan also recommends Congress deauthorize the project, ending the Corps’ primary navigation mission at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and all other secondary missions to include recreation.

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