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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Public Affairs Office
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: (651) 290-5807
Fax: (651) 290-5752
cemvp-pa@usace.army.mil 

 

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Tag: flood risk reduction
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  • October

    Mississippi River Headwaters reservoirs

    History of the Headwaters Recreation Areas

    The Mississippi River Headwaters dams, located in north central Minnesota, were constructed and placed in operation between 1884 and 1912. Maj. General Warren, the first St. Paul District commander, noted the importance of the Mississippi River Headwaters area during field surveys in the 1860s. Less than 10 years later, Congress authorized a feasibility study to determine whether a series of dams and reservoirs could aid in stabilizing water flow in the Mississippi River between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. As a result, a system of dams capable of raising water levels and storing annual spring runoff from six existing lake systems was designated. These structures are located at the outlets of Gull Lake, Leech Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Cross Lake, Pokegama Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish. Two of these lakes, Leech and Winnibigoshish, are located within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.

  • Red River Flood of 2009

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, declared a victory late April 2009 after facing massive flooding in the Red River of the North river valley for more than a month-and-a-half. By the end of the fight, the district had distributed 11.3 million sandbags, 4,201 rolls of plastic and 136 pumps, as well as let 50 contracts, built approximately 70 miles of emergency levee and spent more than $32 million.

  • Floods of 1997

    The St. Paul District faced one of its biggest challenges ever when, in the timeframe of around six weeks in 1997, it simultaneously fought floods in three river basins – the Red, the Minnesota and the Mississippi.

  • August

    Bonnie Greenleaf, Devils Lake flood risk management project manager, briefs Mississippi Valley Division commander Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr on features of the project during a tour of the area during his North Dakota visit July 6-8, 2015. The Devils Lake basin is a 3,810 square-mile sub-basin of the Red River of the North with no natural outlet until lake levels reach an elevation 1,458, at which it flows through Tolna Coulee into the Sheyenne River. Maj. Gen. Wehr received an orientation of the Devils Lake Basin prior to attending Devils Lake Executive Committee, or DLEC, meeting July 8, 2015. The DLEC, co-chaired by the commander of the Mississippi Valley Division and the governor of North Dakota, is comprised of representatives from more than 20 Federal, State, tribal, local agencies and governmental entities.

    Division commander visits North Dakota projects

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. Michael Wehr and St. Paul District Commander Col. Dan Koprowski visited the cities of Minot and Devils Lake, North Dakota, July 6-8, to meet with members of Congress, state and local officials and to see Corps projects in the region.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with Roseau Mayor Jeffry Pelowski, U.S. Sen. Al Franken, U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, state Sen. LeRoy Stumpf, state Rep. Dan Fabian, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources representative Kent Lokkesmoe and Mark Karl of Polaris Industries, dedicated the Roseau Flood Risk Management project August 18, 2015. The $44.6 million project includes a 4.5 mile diversion channel and 45 acres of recreation opportunities to include three birding sites, 9 miles of off-road vehicle trails, an ATV challenge course, 7 miles of multi-use trails and a trail head with parking and picnic area. The diversion channel was designed to divert floodwater around the city to reduce flood stages within the community.

    Roseau flood project dedicated

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the completion of its Roseau, Minnesota, Flood Damage Reduction Project with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Roseau, Aug. 18.

  • September

    Maj. Gen. John Peabody, Mississippi Valley Division commander, and Todd Sando, North Dakota State Water Commission engineer, dedicate the Tolna Coulee Advance Measures Project with a ribbon cutting ceremony July 19. The 800-foot wide structure is designed to regulate the amount of water that would flow through the coulee.

    Commanders tour, dedicate North Dakota project

    North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. John Peabody dedicated the district’s Tolna Coulee project with a ribbon cutting ceremony July 19. The ceremony was part of a three-day North Dakota tour undertaken by Peabody July 17-19, which also included attending a Devils Lake Executive Committee meeting in Bismarck, N.D., and making stops in Devils Lake, N.D., Minot, N.D., and Valley City, N.D.

  • April

    District, Valley City, N.D., sign agreement, marking the beginning of a feasibility study along the Sheyenne River

    The district kicked off the Valley City, Sheyenne River Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study during a signing ceremony in Valley City, N.D., April 10. Col. Michael Price, district commander, and Valley City Mayor Bob Werkhoven signed the cost-sharing agreement in front of local officials and the media to mark the beginning of this $1.5 million study that is expected to take 2 1/2 years to complete.

  • March

    Silver Jackets logo

    Silver Jackets support district, communities

    During a flood disaster, first responders often arrive wearing distinctively colored coats etched with their agency’s name. While the colors and acronyms can be many, one group is working to build a bridge of cooperation among the various federal, state and local government agencies tasked with responding to a flood.

  • February

    Maj. Gen. John Peabody, Mississippi Valley Division commander, left, and Bill Csajko, project management, discuss the ongoing construction efforts at Tolna Coulee, near Tolna, N.D., during a site visit January 30, 2015. The Corps plans to complete the construction within the next six weeks.

    Despite winter conditions, the district continues Tolna Coulee outlet construction

    Amid rolling hills and a lake that continues invading communities in central North Dakota, lies a control structure here that the district is building to prevent catastrophic erosion.

  • Gull Lake park rangers use teamwork to prepare for summer

    The Gull Lake Recreation Area, just north of Brainerd, Minn., has served as a district flood control project for the past 100 years. While the dam regulates the water levels on the chain of lakes, the park rangers that oversee the dam’s operations and maintenance take care of more than just the gate adjustments.