RED WING, Minn. – As the 17,000-square mile Minnesota River basin purges itself, the flood peaks are pushing levels higher in the Mississippi. The tide overwhelmed Army Corps’ Dam 3 at Red Wing when the flow passed 125,000 cubic feet per second over the weekend. The Corps stopped handling barges and told riverboat captains to anchor in place. The lock already had been closed to recreational boaters for several days. The Corp said it hoped to reopen locks by July 4, some perhaps earlier, but it depends entirely on weather. Standard procedure is to halt recreational traffic through locks at 30,000 cubic feet er second and barges at 40,000.
Earlier: Federal flood aid for 22 Minnesota counties