Corps closes Lock and Dam 3 due to high Mississippi River flows

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, closed Lock and Dam 3, located upstream of Red Wing, Minnesota, to all traffic until further notice due to high flows over 125,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs. It is anticipated that this lock will be reopened July 4, but it is weather dependent.

The St. Paul District also closed Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam 1, both in Minneapolis, to commercial traffic today. These locks were closed to recreational traffic June 21. These locks are closed to recreational traffic at 30,000 cfs, and commercial traffic at 40,000 cfs. It is anticipated that these locks will be reopened July 1, but it is weather dependent.

The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy.

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