HASTINGS, Minn. – The Army Corps, which controls Mississippi River dams and navigation, has opened the gates all the way at every dam from Hastings south 200 miles to Guttenberg in Iowa. Dan Fasching, the regional Corps of water manager in St. Paul, said the open gates are allowing high water to flush itself downriver as rapidly as possible. The goal: to minimize flooding. Meanwhile, the Corps is monitoring the Minnesota River loosely. The Minnesota drains inland Minnesota counties that have been devastated with floods. The Minnesota River empties into Mississippi at St. Paul, which is raising water dangerously all the way down the Mississippi into Iowa. Other flood responses by the Corps:
> Blackhawk Park. At DeSoto: Closed.
> Jays landing: At Genoa: Closed.
> Millstone landing. At New Albin: Closed.
> Bad Axe landing: At Genoa. Closed.
Verbatim
Fasching: “Because the recent rain events fell with the Minnesota River basin, the rain adds to more water to the Mississippi River and will take several weeks to drain. Any additional rain during the next few weeks has the possibility to increase the flood risk.”