Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mississippi Dam Removal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Friends of the Mississippi River seeks $1.1 million feasibility study on removing two Twin Cities dams
Summary
Friends of the Mississippi River requested roughly $1.1 million from LCCMR on July 9 to fund a feasibility study of removing two locks and dams in the Twin Cities, arguing the Army Corps’ disposition study is too narrow to answer long-term ecological and infrastructure questions.
Friends of the Mississippi River urged the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources on July 9 to fund a comprehensive feasibility study — requesting approximately $1,099,094 — to evaluate the ecological benefits, sediment management and infrastructure implications of removing two locks and dams on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities.
Colleen O’Connor Toberman, FMR’s land-use and planning program director, told commissioners that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ ongoing disposition study will be a high-level review focused on Corps budget and mission and may recommend transferring the structures to a “willing owner” rather than exploring dam removal thoroughly. FMR said the rapid failure of an aging lock/dam last year shows the high cost of delay, and that state and tribal leaders need an independent, in-depth analysis of likely outcomes, costs and adaptation needs.
Why it matters: removing these aging structures could restore riverine habitat, change sediment dynamics and alter recreation and infrastructure outcomes across a large reach of the Mississippi River. FMR said the study would quantify ecological benefits (habitat acres, species benefits), identify how to manage an estimated 3 million cubic meters of sediment behind Lock & Dam 1 without harmful downstream effects, and analyze infrastructure impacts and adaptation costs for roads, utilities and stormwater systems.
FMR said it had engaged more than 50 technical experts and held public tours and tribal consultations since 2022 to shape the study scope. The organization argued the study must be funded in full to avoid piecemeal work that could be overtaken by the Corps’ disposition process and congressional decisions; FMR told commissioners that most of the requested budget would be subcontracted to engineering firms for field sampling and modeling.
The commission did not vote on the project at the meeting. FMR said Congress should fund removal if the study justifies it; the group emphasized the importance of state, local and tribal interests being fully informed when federal decisions are made.
