Rare Drawdown of Mississippi River Below St. Anthony Falls

During the week of October 5, you will have a rare opportunity to see what parts of the Mississippi River looked like before it was altered by the lock and dam.

On October 4, the US Army Corps of Engineers will begin the process of lowering the river’s water level immediately below St. Anthony Falls. The purpose of drawing down the river is to allow for intermittent inspection of infrastructure that is normally underwater. The last drawdown occurred more than a decade ago, in 2008!

Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam will be open to the public for viewing the river on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM! There will be knowledgeable park rangers and volunteers to help interpret the river and answer questions.

The river will be at the lowest level on Tuesday and Wednesday (October 6 and 7), and then slowly refill until it returns to the normal level later in the week.

The drawdown of the Lower St. Anthony Pool (between the Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam) will nearly restore that part of the river to its natural flow. Most notably, viewers will be able to see rapids in the river that once stretched from St. Anthony Falls to the Minnesota River, until engineering of the river for industrial and navigational purposes altered the flow. One of the most exciting things to see is the Stone Arch Bridge as it was intended, which is much taller than it appears. The lowered water level will also expose footing for the 10th Ave. wagon bridge and portions of William de la Barre's 1879 dam foundation. 

To stay up to date on this topic and other Mississippi River related news and events, sign up for our newsletter (below)!

For more information, see the US Army Corps of Engineer press release.