List of dams and reservoirs in Minnesota
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This is a list of dams and reservoirs in the U.S. state of Minnesota and pertinent data in a sortable table. There are more than 1,250 dams in the state. Over 800 are public facilities and of these 430 are owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.[2]
This list includes the most notable structures, namely all that generate hydroelectricity,[3] any operated by the Mississippi Valley Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),[4] and all dams with reservoirs larger than 100,000 acre feet according to the USACE National Inventory of Dams[5] Notable structures in popular recreation areas are also included, in particular those at the headwaters of the Mississippi and along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Historically significant structures as well as dams whose removal have sparked media interest are also included. Furthermore, there are many dams that have yet to be listed that call Minnesota home.
List of Minnesota dams and reservoirs
| Dam[A] | County[B] | Owner[C] | Y[D] | Type[E] | Height[F] | Impounds[G] | Reservoir Capacity[H] |
MW[I] | River[J] | Primary purpose[K] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ft | m | acre.ft | dam3 | |||||||||
| Aaron Lake Dam | Douglas | MNDNR | 1964 | Gravity | 8 | 2.4 | Lake Aaron | 190,000 | 230,000 | — |
Chippewa | Recreation |
| Bemidji Dam * | Beltrami | Otter Tail Power | 1907 | Gravity | 33 | 10 | Lake Bemidji | 4,500 | 5,600 | 0.1 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric |
| Big Stone Lake Dam † | Big Stone; Roberts | MNDNR | 1937 | Gravity | 15 | 4.6 | Big Stone Lake | 205,000 | 253,000 | — |
Minnesota | Hydroelectric |
| Blanchard Dam | Morrison | Minnesota Power | 1925 | Gravity | 46 | 14 | ROR | 16,358 | 20,177 | 18.0 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric |
| Blandin Dam | Itasca | Minnesota Power | 1916 | Gravity | 21 | 6.4 | Paper Mill Reservoir | 4,000 | 4,900 | 2.1 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric |
| Brainerd Dam | Crow Wing | City-owned | 1888 | Gravity | 22 | 6.7 | Rice Lake | 13,000 | 16,000 | 3.3 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric |
| Coon Rapids Dam | Anoka; Hennepin | Three Rivers Park District | 1913; 2010 | Gravity | 35 | 11 | ROR | 2,000 | 2,500 | — |
Mississippi | Recreation |
| Dayton Hollow Dam | Otter Tail | Otter Tail Power | 1908 | Gravity | 41 | 12 | Dayton Hollow Reservoir | 5,000 | 6,200 | 1.0 | Otter Tail | Hydroelectric; wildlife; recreation |
| Dead Lake Dam | Otter Tail | MNDNR | 1938 | Gravity | 9 | 2.7 | Dead Lake | 100,240 | 123,640 | — |
Dead River | Recreation |
| Deer Lake Dam | Itasca | MNDNR | 1938 | Earth | 8 | 2.4 | Deer Lake | 324,984 | 400,862 | — |
Deer | Recreation |
| Dillon-Boulton-Syltie (Porter Dam) | Lincoln | Yellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD) | 1974 | Earth | 32 | 9.75 | Porter Reservoir (Alternate names: Dillon's Pond, Lake O'Lena, Lake Porter) | 827,640 | 1,020,879 | Unnamed tributary of North Branch Yellow Medicine River | Flood control; public recreation; water supply; wildlife | |
| Fales-VanHyfte/Lake John Dam | Yellow Medicine | Yellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD) | 1981 | 45 | 13.72 | Fales-VanHyfte/Lake John Reservoir | 862,488 | 1,063,863 | Yellow Medicine River Watershed | Food control; public recreation; water supply; wildlife | ||
| Fond du Lac Dam | Carlton | Minnesota Power | 1924 | Arch; Earth | 80 | 24 | ROR | 2,675 | 3,300 | 14.2 | St. Louis | Hydroelectric |
| Granite Falls Dam | Yellow Medicine | City-owned | 1911 | Gravity | 21 | 6.4 | ROR | 36,800 | 45,400 | 1.2 | Minnesota | Hydroelectric |
| Hauschild-Thange Dam | Lincoln | Yellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD) | 1980 | Earth | 52 | 15.85 | Hauschild-Thange Reservoir | 1,176,120 | 1,450,722 | Yellow Medicine River Watershed | Flood control; private recreation; water supply; wildlife | |
| Heron Lake Outlet Dam | Jackson | MNDNR | 1937 | Earth | 10 | 3.0 | Heron Lake | 100,000 | 120,000 | — |
Des Moines-tr | Recreation |
| Hibbing Taconite Starter Dam No. 1 | St. Louis | Hibbing Taconite Company | 1937 | Earth | 100 | 30 | — |
125,000 | 154,000 | — |
Day Brook | Tailings |
| Hoot Lake Dam; Diversion Dam | Otter Tail | Otter Tail Power | 1913 | Gravity | 10 | 3.0 | Hoot Lake | 99 | 122 | 1.0 | Otter Tail | Wildlife; hydroelectric; water supply |
| International Falls Dam ‡; Rainy Lake Dam [note 1] | Koochiching; Fort Frances | Boise Cascade; H2O Power | 1909; 2017[7] | Gravity Arch | 38 | 12 | Rainy Lake | 4,000,000 | 4,900,000 | 14.4 | Rainy | Hydroelectric; flood control; water supply |
| Island Lake Dam [note 2] | St. Louis | Minnesota Power | 1915 | Gravity; Earth | 57 | 17 | Island Lake Reservoir | 177,000 | 218,000 | — |
Cloquet | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Kettle Falls Dam ‡ [note 3] | St. Louis | Boise Cascade | 1914; 1999 | Buttress | 20 | 6.1 | Namakan Lake | 702,500 | 866,500 | — |
Rainy-tr | Recreation; other |
| Knife Falls Dam | Carlton | Minnesota Power | 1922 | Earth | 18 | 5.5 | ROR | 1,763 | 2,175 | 2.4 | St. Louis | Hydroelectric |
| Knutson Dam | Cass | USFS | 1929 | Timber | 9 | 2.7 | Cass | 106,051 | 130,812 | — |
Mississippi | Flood control |
| Lac qui Parle Dam | Lac Qui Parle | USACE | 1939; 1996 | Gravity; Earth | 35 | 11 | Lac qui Parle | 122,800 | 151,500 | — |
Minnesota | Flood control |
| Lake Byllesby Dam | Dakota; Goodhue | Dakota Electric Coop | 1911; 2011 | Buttress | 75 | 23 | Rice Lake | 13,000 | 16,000 | 1.8 | Cannon | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Leech Lake Dam | Cass | MNDNR | 1885; 1957 | Gravity; Earth | 11 | 3.4 | Leech Lake | 838,767 | 1,034,604 | — |
Leech | Flood control; recreation |
| Little Falls Dam | Morrison | Minnesota Power | 1914; 1979 | Gravity | 30 | 9.1 | ROR | 4,780 | 5,900 | 4.7 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 1; Ford Dam | Hennepin; Ramsey | USACE; Twin Cities Hydro | 1917; 1983 | Gravity | 56 | 17 | Pool 1 | 9,300 | 11,500 | 17.9 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 2 | Dakota; Washington | USACE; City-owned | 1948; 1995 | Gravity; Earth | 42 | 13 | Pool 2 | 787,000 | 971,000 | 4.4 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 3 † | Goodhue; Pierce | USACE | 1938; 1991 | Gravity; Earth | 44 | 13 | Pool 3 | 1,110,000 | 1,370,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 4 † | Buffalo; Wabasha | USACE | 1935; 1994 | Gravity; Earth | 42 | 13 | Lake Pepin; Pool 4 | 878,000 | 1,083,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 5 † | Winona; Buffalo | USACE | 1935; 1998 | Gravity; Earth | 43 | 13 | Pool 5 | 106,600 | 131,500 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 5A † | Winona; Buffalo | USACE | 1936; 2000 | Gravity; Earth | 46 | 14 | Pool 5A | 260,000 | 320,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 6 † | Trempealeau; Winona | USACE | 1936; 1999 | Gravity; Earth | 40 | 12 | Pool 6 | 180,000 | 220,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 7 † | Winona; La Crosse |
USACE | 1937; 2002 | Gravity; Earth | 41 | 12 | Pool 7 | 105,000 | 130,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lock and Dam No. 8 † | Vernon; Houston | USACE | 1937; 2003 | Gravity; Earth | 42 | 13 | Pool 8 | 260,000 | 320,000 | — |
Mississippi | Navigation; recreation |
| Lower Red Lake Dam | Clearwater | USACE | 1931 | Earth | 17 | 5.2 | Red Lake Reservoir | 3,428,000 | 4,228,000 | — |
Red Lake | Flood control; water supply |
| Miltona Lake Dam | Douglas | MNDNR | 1937; 1988 | Earth | 8 | 2.4 | Lake Miltona | 280,224 | 345,651 | — |
Long Prairie River | Other |
| Orwell Dam | Otter Tail | USACE | 1953 | Gravity; Earth | 60 | 18 | Orwell Lake | 20,600 | 25,400 | — |
Otter Tail | Water supply; flood control |
| Otter Tail Lake Dam | Otter Tail | MNDNR | 1936 | Gravity | 10 | 3.0 | Otter Tail Lake | 557,200 | 687,300 | — |
Otter Tail | Other |
| Pelican Lake Dam [note 4] | St. Louis | County-owned | 1938; 2002 | Gravity | 10 | 3.0 | Pelican | 240,790 | 297,010 | — |
Pelican | Wildlife; other |
| Pokegama Lake Dam; Pokegama Reservoir Dam [note 5] | Itasca | USACE | 1884; 1936 | Gravity; Timber | 17 | 5.2 | Lake Pokegama | 120,000 | 150,000 | — |
Mississippi | Recreation; flood control; navigation |
| Rapidan Dam | Blue Earth | Blue Earth County | 1910 | Gravity | 87 | 27 | Rapidan Reservoir | — |
Blue Earth | Hydroelectric | ||
| St. Anthony Falls Lower Lock and Dam | Hennepin County | USACE; SAF Hydro | 1956 | Gravity | 58 | 18 | Intermediate Pool | 420 | 520 | 9.0 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| St. Anthony Falls Upper Lock and Dam and Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant [note 6] | Hennepin County | USACE; Xcel Energy; Crown Hydro | 1882; 1963 | Gravity | 49 | 15 | Upper St. Anthony Falls Pool | 4,900 | 6,000 | 14.2 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| St. Cloud Dam | Sherburne; Stearns | City-owned | 1972; 1988 | Gravity | 22.3 | 6.8 | ROR | 2,254 | 2,780 | 8.9 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; water supply |
| St. Croix Falls Dam † | Polk; Chisago | Xcel Energy | 1905 | Gravity Arch | 60 | 18 | ROR | 14,400 | 17,800 | 25.0 | St. Croix | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Sandy Lake Dam | Aitkin | USACE | 1895 | Gravity | 22 | 6.7 | Big Sandy Lake | 79,400 | 97,900 | — |
Mississippi-tr | Hydroelectric |
| Sartell Dam; Champion Dam | Benton; Stearns | Verso Paper; Eagle Creek Renewable | 1905; 1985 | Gravity | 23 | 7.0 | Little Rock Lake | 28,000 | 35,000 | 9.5 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Scanlon Dam | Carlton | Minnesota Power | 1922 | Earth | 18 | 5.5 | ROR | 1,763 | 2,175 | 1.6 | St. Louis | Hydroelectric |
| Sylvan Dam | Cass | Minnesota Power | 1930 | Gravity | 35 | 11 | ROR | 9,216 | 11,368 | 1.8 | Mississippi | Hydroelectric |
| Thomson Dam [note 7] | Carlton | MNDNR | 1907 | Gravity; Earth | 15 | 4.6 | Thomson Reservoir | 4,352 | 5,368 | 69.6 | St. Louis | Hydroelectric; recreation |
| Vekins Dam | Clearwater | Private | 1880 | Timber | 4 | 1.2 | ROR | — |
— |
— |
Mississippi | Logging |
| Winnibigoshish Lake Dam | Cass | USACE | 1884; 1990 | Earth | 7 | 2.1 | Lake Winnibigoshish | 678,000 | 836,000 | — |
Mississippi | Water supply; flood control |
| Zumbro Lake Dam* | Wabasha | City-owned | 1919 | Gravity | 65 | 20 | Lake Zumbro | 35,000 | 43,000 | 2.3 | Zumbro | Hydroelectric |
Data definitions
Unless referenced differently, all information in the table above is from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID)[5] Specific data fields are defined as follows:[12][13]
- Official name. Common names other than the official name follow, separated by semicolons.
- County were dam is located. If structure straddles borders, additional counties separated by semicolon. County where main access is located listed first
- If multiple owners, names separated by semicolon. Hydropower companies, if separate from dam owner, are listed second.
- If more than one type, listed in order of importance separated by semicolon.
- NID height is defined as the maximum value of the structural height and hydraulic height. Accepted as the general height of the dam.
- Official name of the reservoir impounded by the dam. If the installation is run-of-the-river with no geographically-defined reservoir, value is "ROR".
- NID maximum storage in acre-feet, defined as the total storage space in the reservoir below the maximum attainable water surface elevation, including any surcharge storage. Accepted as the general storage of the dam.
- Nameplate capacity in MWs of hydroelectric plant(s), if any.[3]
- Official name of the river or stream on which the dam is built. If unnamed, it is identified as a tributary to a named river by appending -tr to the name. If offstream, the name is appended with -os.
- The order indicates the relative decreasing importance of the purpose.
Failed and removed dams
- Berning Mill Dam, St. Michael, Minnesota – Crow River (removed after failure 1986) [14]
- Broken Down Dam, Fergus Falls, Minnesota – Otter Tail River (built 1908, collapsed 1909 - ruins remain in the river for recreation) [15]
- Flandrau Dam, New Ulm, Minnesota – Cottonwood River (built 1930, removed 1995 after repeated damage from floods) [14]
- Hanover Dam, Hanover, Minnesota – Crow River (removed after failure 1984) [14]
- Lac qui Parle Dam, Montevideo, Minnesota – Chippewa (built 1958, removed 2012) [16]
- Lake Florence Dam, Stewartville, Minnesota – Root River (built 1910s, damaged 1993, removed 1994 - Lake Florence no longer exists)[14]
- Meeker Island Lock and Dam – Mississippi River (built 1907, became obsolete and removed 1920) [17]
- Mill Pond Dam, Appleton, Minnesota – Pomme de Terre River (removed after being damaged in a 1997 flood) [18]
- Minnesota Falls Dam, Granite Falls, Minnesota – Minnesota River (built 1909, removed 2010) [19]
- Nevers Dam, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota – St. Croix River (built 1889, removed 1954 after being damaged) [20]
- Sandstone Dam, Sandstone, Minnesota – Kettle River (20 ft tall hydropower dam built 1908, removed 1999) [21]
- Shady Lake Dam (Oronoco Dam), Oronoco, Minnesota – Zumbro River (built in 1937, removed 2015 after dam failure in 2010)[22]
- Stockton Dam, Stockton, Minnesota – Garvin Brook (30 ft high mill structure built 1910, removed 1994) [14]
- Welch Dam, Welch, Minnesota – Cannon River (built 1890s, removed 1994) [14]
Notes
- Rainy Lake is controlled by 4 structures: International Falls Dam, the main hydroelectric project spanning Rainy River between International Falls, Minnesota and Fort Frances, Ontario; two more at Kettle Falls controlling water entering Rainy Lake from Namakan Lake; and Sturgeon Falls Generating Station on the Seine River, Ontario. These dams are sometimes considered as one grouping called the "Rainy Lake Control Structures", however the three sites are many miles apart.[6]
- Island Lake Dam consists of two separate NID listed structures built at the same time; Main Dam and Island Lake North Dike. The dike is a concrete/gravity/earth structure 21 ft. high and 331 ft. long. Both impound the same pool.
- Kettle Falls Dam consists of 2 structures on either side of Kettle Island, divided into the American Dam and another on the Canadian channel called International Dam. Both were constructed at the same time to control the flow of water into Rainy River from Namakan Lake.
- Pokegama Dam consists of a main structure and 5 concrete/earthen dikes in 3 locations that form a system of connected lakes. All are at the same height and impound the same pool.[9]
- St. Anthony Falls has a complex history. The current lock and dam structure was built in 1963, however there have been many dams at this location since the first was built in 1847. A massive concrete apron was constructed in 1869 after a partial collapse of the falls. The existing hydroelectric station was built in 1882 on the same pool but is distinct from the existing dam. A separate hydroelectric project is under development on the opposite of the river in a decommissioned lock.[10]
- The Thomson Water Project consists of multiple dams and water control structures located in and around Thomson, Minnesota, and nearby Jay Cooke State Park. The 1600 ft long main dam is supplemented by many smaller segments, some of which have been rebuilt and merged over the years. 14 distinct structures are registered in the NID, the tallest is 51 feet.[11]