Additional locks and dams on Mississippi River closed due to high water

Due to high water, the St. Paul Engineer District closed several Mississippi River locks and dams to all commercial and recreational traffic this past weekend and anticipates more closures in the coming days. The Corps closed three locks prior.

The current locks and dams closed with the St. Paul District include:

• Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, Minneapolis;
• Lock and Dam 1, Minneapolis;
• Lock and Dam 3, Welch, Minn.;
• Lock and Dam 4, Alma, Wis.;
• Lock and Dam 5, Minnesota City, Minn.;
• Lock and Dam 5A, Fountain City, Wis.;
• Lock and Dam 6, Trempealeau, Wis.; and
• Lock and Dam 8, Genoa, Wis.;

Corps officials anticipate closing Lock and Dam 10, Guttenberg, Iowa, within the next day.

All of the locks are expected to be closed for around a week to 10 days depending on the location and river levels and when it is safe to resume navigation. Lock and Dam 2, Hastings, Minn.; Lock and Dam 7, La Crescent, Minn.; and Lock and Dam 9, Lynxville, Wis., are not expected to close at this time.

The St. Paul District is where the “Mighty Mississippi River” starts its long journey through the middle of the United States of America to the Gulf of Mexico. The district covers an area of approximately 139,000 square miles.

The district borders follow the edges of four river basins – Mississippi River, Red River of the North, Souris River and Rainy River. The latter three basins drain north into Hudson’s Bay. The district shares about 500 miles of border with three Canadian provinces. This area includes most of Minnesota, the western half of Wisconsin, the northeastern half of North Dakota and small portions of South Dakota and northern Iowa.