Edit: This does not mean the River is Closed! BK
NEWS RELEASE
May 28, 2012
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
MVP-PA-2012-052
Contact:
Shannon Bauer: 651-290-5108, 612-840-9453, [email protected]
Minneapolis locks and dams closed to recreational traffic due to high flows on the Mississippi
ST. PAUL, Minn. -The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, closed the three Twin Cities lock and dams to recreational boats this morning due to increasing high water flows in the Mississippi River.
The Upper St. Anthony Falls and Lower St. Anthony Falls lock and dams in downtown Minneapolis, and Lock and Dam 1 next to Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis were closed around 7 a.m., when flows passed 30,000 cubic feet per second or cfs. Based on National Weather Service forecasts, it could be a week or longer before flows are below 30,000 cfs and the upper three locks are once again open to recreational traffic.
According to the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division lock and dam regulation manual, the district is required to close the lock and dams because the high flows are unsafe for recreational boat navigation at 30,000 cfs. Heavy rains yesterday contributed to the increase in water.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $181 million to the five-state district economy. The 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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