ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and its contractor, L.S. Marine, Inc., of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, will mobilize in the next few weeks, to begin moving 450,000 cubic yards of river sand from the Corps Island temporary placement site near Welch, Minnesota, to a permanent upland placement site.
The contractor will begin offloading the river sand at Lock and Dam 3 in the mid-August timeframe, where it will be transferred to trucks. The project is expected to be complete in October 2027. During this time, Corps Island will be CLOSED to the public.
The water areas will not be closed, and large tow boats and barges will be in the vicinity. Boaters are urged to use extreme caution around this area and to always wear your life jacket. The public is urged to follow all posted closures and safety instructions.
Removing river sand from the temporary placement site to the permanent site will free up room at the temporary placement site for future dredging activities to maintain the 9-foot navigation channel.
The St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot navigation channel from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. In 2025, Corps staff supported the movement of over 5.6 million tons of commodities at Lock and Dam 3, near Welch, Minnesota. These commodities include corn, soybeans, fertilizer and cement. The tonnage is the equivalent of around 3,200 barges or 224,000 tractor trailers or 51,000 rail cars.
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Release no. 26-050