ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closing the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in Minneapolis to all navigation. The action is mandated as a result of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 with the requirement that the lock be closed on or before June 10, 2015.
The action will end all use of the lock by commercial, recreation and other navigational uses. This will end the ability to ship cargo, such as gravel and scrap metal to and from barge terminals above Upper St. Anthony Falls Dam. Cargo that would otherwise be moved by barge during the normal shipping season will likely now be moved by truck or other transportation means. This will have an economic effect for those companies above the dam. The action also will result in the closing of the lock’s visitor center.
An Environmental Assessment has been prepared by the St. Paul District in regards to the effects of closing the lock. This document is available for public review and comment thru Jan. 23, 2015. A copy of these documents can be obtained by contacting the St. Paul District or by visiting the district website at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx
Please address all correspondence on this project to the District Commander, St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 Fifth St. E., Ste. 700, St. Paul, MN 55101-1678. For more information, contact Elliott Stefanik, Corps’ environmental specialist, at 651-290-5260.
The nearly 650 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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