Corps reminds public of changes to operating hours for Minneapolis locks

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District’s navigation season will start this year with some changes to the operating hours at its three Minneapolis locks.

The Corps is changing the operating hours at its three locks – Upper St. Anthony Falls, Lower St. Anthony Falls and Lock and Dam 1. The Corps will lock both commercial and recreational vessels daily from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., at Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls, and 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Lock and Dam 1. The purpose in changing the operating hours is due to the nationwide-effort to reduce the operating and maintenance costs at locks and dams.

“The Corps hopes to save money by standardizing lock service levels at locks throughout the country. The decision to change the operating hours is based solely on the lock usage at each location,” said Kevin Baumgard, deputy operations chief. He added the district will review the lock usage annually and make additional adjustments to the operating hours based on future reviews.

The nearly 700 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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