Corps of Engineers halts Lac Qui Parle dam gate replacement

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, terminated the construction at the Lac Qui Parle Dam, near Montevideo, Minnesota, this week due to excessive rains.  

The Corps’ maintenance and repair team was scheduled to replace the nine gates at the dam this fall. This project entailed building a cofferdam to block flows while replacing existing gates. Due to the unforeseen high waters, continuing on with the project has been determined unsafe at this time.  

Despite halting construction, the dam continues to work as designed. Corps engineers will continue monitoring the gates to ensure they operate properly when needed.

The Corps anticipates construction will start back up next year, weather permitting.

For questions regarding activities around the dam, please contact Randy Melby at 320-269-6303.  

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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