High water closes Mississippi River lock and dams

The St. Paul Engineer District has closed four locks and dams in response to high water levels on the Mississippi River. Lock and Dam 4, near Alma, Wis., was closed on April 17 to all commercial and recreational traffic.

Lock and Dam 3, located in Welch, Minn., was also projected to close to all navigation as soon as yesterday. The locks are projected to be closed for around a week, but the exact timing will depend on the river levels and when it is safe to resume navigation.

The Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis and Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis also remain closed.

“We anticipate reopening the locks and dams with the next week or two, but the exact timing will depend on river flows and when it is safe to resume navigation,” said Deputy Public Affairs Chief Patrick Moes of the St. Paul Engineer District on April 20. “Depending on future forecasts/rain events, we may experience additional closures at other locks and dams but the specific timing and locations are solely dependent upon river levels.”

Snow melt and forecasted rain contributed to the increase in water. For up-to-date information on flood forecasts, please visit the National Weather Service website.

On April 14, the St. Paul District opened the Tainter gate at Upper St. Anthony Falls lock, in Minneapolis in response to flooding upstream of the lock.

Opening the gate will reduce the flood threat to the area by allowing approximately 10,000 – 14,000 cfs to pass through the lock chamber. The St. Paul District kept the gate open until the flows fell below 40,000 cfs.

This is the ninth time the St. Paul District has passed water through the chamber since the lock was built in 1963. The previous years include 1965, 1969, 1997, 2001, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2022.

As a result of the high flows, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam 1, both in Minneapolis, are temporarily closed to navigation. The locks will reopen to commercial navigation once the river flows drop below 40,000 cfs and will reopen to recreational traffic once flows drop below 30,000 cfs.

As flood waters increase throughout the state, Corps of Engineers staff urge everyone to take extreme caution near the water. Flood waters often have many hazards such as trees and debris that can’t be seen.