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.
This list includes the most notable structures, namely all that generate hydroelectricity, any operated by the Mississippi Valley Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and all dams with reservoirs larger than 100,000 acre feet 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 Key to symbolsDam located on a border with another stateDam located on the border with Canada*Facility does not fall under the authority of the FERC –Data point not applicable
DamCountyOwnerYTypeHeightImpoundsReservoirCapacityMWRiverPrimarypurposeftmacre.ftdam3Aaron Lake DamDouglasMNDNR1964GravityLake AaronChippewaRecreationBemidji Dam *BeltramiOtter Tail Power1907GravityLake Bemidji0.1MississippiHydroelectricBig Stone Lake Dam Big Stone; RobertsMNDNR1937GravityBig Stone LakeMinnesotaHydroelectricBlanchard DamMorrisonMinnesota Power1925GravityROR18.0MississippiHydroelectricBlandin DamItascaMinnesota Power1916GravityPaper Mill Reservoir2.1MississippiHydroelectricBrainerd DamCrow WingCity-owned1888GravityRice Lake3.3MississippiHydroelectricCoon Rapids DamAnoka; HennepinThree Rivers Park District1913; 2010GravityRORMississippiRecreationDayton Hollow DamOtter TailOtter Tail Power1908GravityDayton Hollow Reservoir1.0Otter TailHydroelectric; wildlife; recreationDead Lake DamOtter TailMNDNR1938GravityDead LakeDead RiverRecreationDeer Lake DamItascaMNDNR1938EarthDeer LakeDeerRecreationDillon-Boulton-Syltie (Porter Dam)LincolnYellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD)1974Earth329.75Porter Reservoir (Alternate names: Dillon's Pond, Lake O'Lena, Lake Porter)827,6401,020,879Unnamed tributary of North Branch Yellow Medicine RiverFlood control; public recreation; water supply; wildlife Fales-VanHyfte/Lake John DamYellow MedicineYellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD)19814513.72Fales-VanHyfte/Lake John Reservoir862,4881,063,863Yellow Medicine River WatershedFood control; public recreation; water supply; wildlifeFond du Lac DamCarltonMinnesota Power1924Arch; EarthROR14.2St. LouisHydroelectricGranite Falls DamYellow MedicineCity-owned1911GravityROR1.2MinnesotaHydroelectricHauschild-Thange DamLincolnYellow Medicine River Watershed District (YMRWD)1980Earth5215.85Hauschild-Thange Reservoir1,176,1201,450,722Yellow Medicine River WatershedFlood control; private recreation; water supply; wildlifeHeron Lake Outlet DamJacksonMNDNR1937EarthHeron LakeDes Moines-trRecreationHibbing Taconite Starter Dam No. 1St. LouisHibbing Taconite Company1937EarthDay BrookTailingsHoot Lake Dam; Diversion DamOtter TailOtter Tail Power1913GravityHoot Lake1.0Otter TailWildlife; hydroelectric; water supplyInternational Falls Dam ; Rainy Lake Dam Koochiching; Fort FrancesBoise Cascade; H2O Power1909; 2017Gravity ArchRainy Lake14.4RainyHydroelectric; flood control; water supplyIsland Lake Dam St. LouisMinnesota Power1915Gravity; EarthIsland Lake ReservoirCloquetHydroelectric; recreationKettle Falls Dam St. LouisBoise Cascade1914; 1999ButtressNamakan LakeRainy-trRecreation; otherKnife Falls DamCarltonMinnesota Power1922EarthROR2.4St. LouisHydroelectricKnutson DamCassUSFS1929TimberCassMississippiFlood controlLac qui Parle DamLac qui ParleUSACE1939; 1996Gravity; EarthLac qui ParleMinnesotaFlood controlLake Byllesby DamDakota; GoodhueDakota Electric Coop1911; 2011ButtressRice Lake1.8CannonHydroelectric; recreationLeech Lake DamCassMNDNR1885; 1957Gravity; EarthLeech LakeLeechFlood control; recreationLittle Falls DamMorrisonMinnesota Power1914; 1979GravityROR4.7MississippiHydroelectric; recreationLock and Dam No. 1; Ford DamHennepin; RamseyUSACE; Twin Cities Hydro1917; 1983GravityPool 117.9MississippiHydroelectric; navigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 2Dakota; WashingtonUSACE; City-owned 1948; 1995Gravity; EarthPool 24.4MississippiHydroelectric; navigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 3 Goodhue; PierceUSACE1938; 1991Gravity; EarthPool 3MississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 4 Buffalo; WabashaUSACE1935; 1994Gravity; EarthLake Pepin; Pool 4MississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 5 Winona; BuffaloUSACE1935; 1998Gravity; EarthPool 5MississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 5A Winona; BuffaloUSACE1936; 2000Gravity; EarthPool 5AMississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 6 Trempealeau; WinonaUSACE1936; 1999Gravity; EarthPool 6MississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 7 Winona;La CrosseUSACE1937; 2002Gravity; EarthPool 7MississippiNavigation; recreationLock and Dam No. 8 Vernon; HoustonUSACE1937; 2003Gravity; EarthPool 8MississippiNavigation; recreationLower Red Lake DamClearwaterUSACE1931EarthRed Lake ReservoirRed LakeFlood control; water supplyMiltona Lake DamDouglasMNDNR1937; 1988EarthLake MiltonaLong Prairie RiverOtherOrwell DamOtter TailUSACE1953Gravity; EarthOrwell LakeOtter TailWater supply; flood controlOtter Tail Lake DamOtter TailMNDNR1936GravityOtter Tail LakeOtter TailOtherPelican Lake Dam St. LouisCounty-owned1938; 2002GravityPelicanPelicanWildlife; otherPokegama Lake Dam; Pokegama Reservoir Dam ItascaUSACE1884; 1936Gravity; TimberLake PokegamaMississippiRecreation; flood control; navigationRapidan Dam Blue EarthBlue Earth County1910GravityRapidan ReservoirBlue EarthHydroelectricSt. Anthony Falls Lower Lock and DamHennepin CountyUSACE; SAF Hydro1956GravityIntermediate Pool9.0MississippiHydroelectric; recreationSt. Anthony Falls Upper Lock and Dam and Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant Hennepin CountyUSACE; Xcel Energy; Crown Hydro1882; 1963GravityUpper St. Anthony Falls Pool14.2MississippiHydroelectric; recreationSt. Cloud DamSherburne; StearnsCity-owned1972; 1988GravityROR8.9MississippiHydroelectric; water supplySt. Croix Falls Dam Polk; ChisagoXcel Energy1905Gravity ArchROR25.0St. CroixHydroelectric; recreationSandy Lake DamAitkinUSACE1895GravityBig Sandy LakeMississippi-trHydroelectricSartell Dam; Champion DamBenton; StearnsVerso Paper; Eagle Creek Renewable1905; 1985GravityLittle Rock Lake9.5MississippiHydroelectric; recreationScanlon DamCarltonMinnesota Power1922EarthROR1.6St. LouisHydroelectricSylvan DamCassMinnesota Power1930GravityROR1.8MississippiHydroelectricThomson Dam CarltonMNDNR1907Gravity; EarthThomson Reservoir69.6St. LouisHydroelectric; recreationVekins DamClearwaterPrivate1880TimberRORMississippiLoggingWinnibigoshish Lake DamCassUSACE1884; 1990EarthLake WinnibigoshishMississippiWater supply; flood controlZumbro Lake Dam*WabashaCity-owned1919GravityLake Zumbro2.3ZumbroHydroelectric
Data definitions Unless referenced differently, all information in the table above is from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) Specific data fields are defined as follows:
Failed and removed dams Berning Mill Dam, St. Michael, Minnesota – Crow River (removed after failure 1986) Broken Down Dam, Fergus Falls, Minnesota – Otter Tail River (built 1908, collapsed 1909 - ruins remain in the river for recreation) Flandrau Dam, New Ulm, Minnesota – Cottonwood River (built 1930, removed 1995 after repeated damage from floods) Hanover Dam, Hanover, Minnesota – Crow River (removed after failure 1984) Lac qui Parle Dam, Montevideo, Minnesota – Chippewa (built 1958, removed 2012) Lake Florence Dam, Stewartville, Minnesota – Root River (built 1910s, damaged 1993, removed 1994 - Lake Florence no longer exists) Meeker Island Lock and Dam – Mississippi River (built 1907, became obsolete and removed 1920) Mill Pond Dam, Appleton, Minnesota – Pomme de Terre River (removed after being damaged in a 1997 flood) Minnesota Falls Dam, Granite Falls, Minnesota – Minnesota River (built 1909, removed 2010) Nevers Dam, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota – St. Croix River (built 1889, removed 1954 after being damaged) Sandstone Dam, Sandstone, Minnesota – Kettle River (20 ft tall hydropower dam built 1908, removed 1999) Shady Lake Dam (Oronoco Dam), Oronoco, Minnesota – Zumbro River (built in 1937, removed 2015 after dam failure in 2010) Stockton Dam, Stockton, Minnesota – Garvin Brook (30 ft high mill structure built 1910, removed 1994) Welch Dam, Welch, Minnesota – Cannon River (built 1890s, removed 1994)
Notes
References
See also List of locks and dams of the Upper Mississippi River
External links Minnesota DNR Dam Finder (Interactive) NPDB Dams Database National Performance of Dams Program, Stanford University