Lock and Dam 14 II

There are 29 locks & dams located along the Upper Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Paul, Minnesota. These are maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The DAMS divide the river into 29 flat pools were designed to hold water BACK to maintain a 9-ft deep shipping channel. The dams do NOT control flooding on the river. During floods, the dam GATES are pulled up and the water allowed to flow unimpeded down the river.

Tows and recreational boats must use the LOCKS just like elevators to climb the stairway of pools from St. Louis to St. Paul! There is no charge for recreational boaters. Commercial shippers pay a tax on fuel that helps to support the navigation system.

Below St. Louis, the Mississippi River is naturally deep enough so that dams are not needed for navigation. The deep silt of the lower river also precludes the building of locks and dams. There is no commercial navigation above St. Paul.