Corps To Temporarily Lower River At St. Paul

The St. Paul Engineer District is seeking comments on a plan to briefly lower the Mississippi River elevation south of the St. Anthony Falls for an inspection of the Bassett Creek Tunnel, with the initial inspection to take place next month.

The Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission requested that the Corps lower the river so the organization can complete a tunnel inspection. The commission would like to do this every 10 years. The Corps is proposing to lower the river by 13 feet to an elevation of 737.0 feet to facilitate these inspections.

The tentative target period for the initial inspection is scheduled for February 25–March 1. The exact date could be delayed by a week if weather conditions warrant. The inspection should last no more than five to seven days. The river elevation is expected to be restored to its normal level within four days following the inspection.

The Corps released a draft programmatic Environmental Assessment, or EA, and is seeking public comments until February 8 on the proposal. The draft EA is available to the public and can be viewed and downloaded through this link on the St. Paul District website.