This is a list of dams and reservoirs in the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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 The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...

. This list includes the most notable structures, namely all that generate

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

, any operated by the

Mississippi Valley Division The United States Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) is responsible for the Corps water resources programs within 370,000-square-miles of the Mississippi River Valley, as well as the watershed portions of the Red River o ...

of the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

(USACE), and all dams with reservoirs larger than 100,000

acre feet The acre-foot is a non- SI unit of volume equal to about commonly used in the United States in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, sewer flow capacity, irrigation water, and river flows. An acre-f ...

according to the USACE National Inventory of Dams 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

Data definitions

Unless referenced differently, all information in the table above is from the

USACE , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

National Inventory of Dams The National Inventory of Dams (NID) is a congressionally authorized database documenting dams in the United States and its territories. It is maintained and published by the US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , an ...

(NID) Specific data fields are defined as follows:

Failed and removed dams

* Berning Mill Dam,

St. Michael, Minnesota St. Michael is a city in eastern Wright County, northwest of the Minneapolis-St Paul "Twin Cities" Metropolitan Area. The population was 18,235 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total a ...

– Crow River (removed after failure 1986) * Broken Down Dam,

Fergus Falls, Minnesota Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census. History The falls from which the city gets part of its name were discovered by Joe Whitford (a Scotti ...

–

Otter Tail River The Otter Tail River (Ojibwe: ''Nigigwaanowe-ziibi'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 8, 2011 river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. I ...

(built 1908, collapsed 1909 - ruins remain in the river for recreation) * Flandrau Dam,

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Co ...

– Cottonwood River (built 1930, removed 1995 after repeated damage from floods) * Hanover Dam,

Hanover, Minnesota Hanover is a city in Wright and Hennepin counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,938 at the 2010 census. Hanover is mainly located within Wright County; only a small part of the city extends into Hennepin County. Even th ...

– Crow River (removed after failure 1984) * Lac qui Parle Dam,

Montevideo, Minnesota Montevideo is a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota, Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,383 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Minnesota, Chippewa County. The town ...

– Chippewa (built 1958, removed 2012) * Lake Florence Dam,

Stewartville, Minnesota Stewartville is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,916 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to have grown to a population of 6,125 as of 2018. Stewartville has experienced growth as a result of its locatio ...

– Root River (built 1910s, damaged 1993, removed 1994 - Lake Florence no longer exists) *

Meeker Island Lock and Dam The Meeker Island Lock and Dam (originally known as Lock and Dam No. 2) was the first lock and dam facility built on the Upper Mississippi River. Meeker Island was named after its owner Judge Bradley B. Meeker. Meeker County was named after him ...

–

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

(built 1907, became obsolete and removed 1920) * Mill Pond Dam,

Appleton, Minnesota Appleton is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 1,412 at the 2010 census. The town is home to a vacant medium-security prison, the Prairie Correctional Facility, which is wholly owned and operated by Correctio ...

– Pomme de Terre River (removed after being damaged in a 1997 flood) * Minnesota Falls Dam,

Granite Falls, Minnesota Granite Falls is a city located mostly in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat with a small portion in Chippewa County, Minnesota. The population was 2,737 at the 2020 census. The Andrew John Volstead House, a Nat ...

–

Minnesota River The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It ris ...

(built 1909, removed 2010) *

Nevers Dam Wild River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, curving along of the St. Croix River. This long, narrow park is shaped somewhat like a sideways 'S', with development largely concentrated in the lower third. The remote upper ...

Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota Marine on St. Croix is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 689 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1839 as Marine Mills. The city was the site of the first commercial sawmill on the St. Croix River. A ...

– St. Croix River (built 1889, removed 1954 after being damaged) * Sandstone Dam,

Sandstone, Minnesota Sandstone is a town in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, along the Kettle River. The population was 2,849 at the 2010 census. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highways 18 and 23 are three of the main routes in the community. Banning S ...

– Kettle River (20 ft tall hydropower dam built 1908, removed 1999) * Shady Lake Dam (Oronoco Dam),

Oronoco, Minnesota Oronoco ( ) is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, along the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River. The population was 1,802 at the 2020 census. History The city was named by early settler Dr. Hector Galloway after the Orinoco, a la ...

–

Zumbro River The Zumbro River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, access ...

(built in 1937, removed 2015 after dam failure in 2010) * Stockton Dam,

Stockton, Minnesota Stockton is a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 809 at the 2020 census. History Stockton was platted in 1856. The city was named after J. B. Stockton, an early landowner. A post office was established at Stockt ...

– Garvin Brook (30 ft high mill structure built 1910, removed 1994) * Welch Dam,

Welch, Minnesota Welch is an unincorporated community in Welch Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. Welch is along County 7 Boulevard near Highway 61, 36 miles southeast of St. Paul. The Cannon River flows through the community. The Canyon Valle ...

– Cannon River (built 1890s, removed 1994)

Notes

References

External links

Minnesota DNR Dam Finder (Interactive)

NPDB Dams Database
National Performance of Dams Program, Stanford University {{Dams and reservoirs in US Dams in Minnesota Reservoirs in Minnesota