Corps of Engineers will conduct snow surveys in preparation for the spring melt

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Survey teams with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will begin collecting snow surveys throughout the region Feb. 20 - 28. 

The teams are taking the surveys to assist Corps of Engineers’ 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.

One team will begin in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and make a counterclockwise trip around Minnesota. A second team will start in Wisconsin and go north to south. Additionally, Corps of Engineers’ park rangers are taking snow surveys in the Mississippi River Headwaters region and at the western recreation areas in North Dakota.

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.

Every year, floods sweep through communities across the United States, taking lives, destroying property, shutting down businesses and causing millions of dollars in damage. The Corps assists communities in building projects that reduce risk from floods while managing several reservoirs designed to reduce excess flooding. Additionally, the Corps assists states in reacting to floods when the response required exceeds a state’s capabilities.

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