Mississippi River Lock Could Close To Prevent Spread Of Asian Carp

A Mississippi River lock could close later this year to prevent the spread of Asian carp if Congress approves a water infrastructure bill.

A congressional conference committee recently reached a deal in finalizing the long-awaited Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). Part of that bill would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock in one year from now. The lock is located in Minneapolis and is the most northern lock on the Mississippi River.

The closure is meant to keep Asian carp and other invasive species out of the Mississippi River watershed upstream from the Twin Cities.

Irene Jones is the river corridor program manager with Friends of the Mississippi River, an organization that pushed for the closure. She says this will partially solve the Asian carp problem, but more work needs to be done to the south.

“Downstream from the lock is still a big concern because the Minnesota River and the St. Croix River, which are two major rivers, and St. Croix we share with Wisconsin, are threatened by Asian carp,” said Jones. “There hasn’t been a good, easy, inexpensive solution that will be feasible, at least not yet, for the downstream locks.”

Mike Toohey is the president and CEO of Waterways Council, a group advocating for inland water systems. He says the closure of the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock will not have a major impact on the shipping industry, although an upstream cement and metal recycling business will be affected.

There was concern in the original WRRDA bill that more locks could eventually close if a certain amount of products didn’t pass through annually, but Toohey says that provision has been taken out of the final bill.

In the coming weeks, WRRDA heads to Congress for a final passage.