Minneapolis locks and dams to reopen to commercial traffic
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will reopen the three Twin Cities lock and dams to commercial traffic Wednesday, June 6 at 8 a.m.
The Upper St. Anthony Falls and Lower St. Anthony Falls locks and dams in downtown Minneapolis and Lock and Dam 1 next to Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis were closed to commercial traffic May 29 when flows on the Mississippi River exceeded 40,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs.
The Corps closed the locks to recreational boats May 28, and they will remain closed to recreational traffic until flows are below 30,000 cfs. Currently, the National Weather Service forecast indicates this will happen by the end of the weekend.
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 commercial boat navigation at 40,000 cfs and unsafe for recreational boat navigation at 30,000 cfs. Heavy rains last week 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 risk 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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