Minneapolis locks reopening to recreation boaters

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is reopening its two Minneapolis locks to recreation traffic today.

Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in downtown Minneapolis and Lock and Dam 1, adjacent to Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, were closed to recreation traffic July 16, when flows on the Mississippi River exceeded 30,000 cubic feet per second. According to the Corps' Mississippi Valley Division lock and dam regulation manual, the district is required to close the locks, because the high flows are unsafe for recreational boats at 30,000 cfs. Commercial traffic at these locks is shut down at 40,000 cfs.

While the forecast flows have fallen to a point where the locks can safely open for recreational traffic, the Corps encourages boaters to continue using caution in the area, because the Mississippi River currents are still high. Submerged logs and other debris below the water’s surface can cause severe damage to water craft and passengers. Always wear a life vest, as events can happen quickly.

The nearly 600 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 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
– Celebrating 150 years of service to the Upper Midwest –
1866-2016