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Coon Rapids Dam
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Coon Rapids Dam
The Coon Rapids Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Mississippi River located in Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of downtown Minneapolis. Between 1914 and 1966, it provided hydroelectric power generation for northern Twin Cities suburbs. Since 1969 it has been used primarily for recreation, with two county parks on either side connected by a 12-foot-wide walkway for cyclists and pedestrians. Suffering from serious wear and tear by the mid-1990s, it was entirely reconstructed from the foundations in 1997 and received further modifications in the early 2010s. As the southernmost dam on the Mississippi that does not have any locks, it is the theoretical northern terminus of the navigable portion of the Mississippi River. The dam is owned by Hennepin County's Three Rivers Park District; Anoka County owns and operates a park on its side of the river.
In 1898, plans began to form to build a hydroelectric power generation dam near Coon Rapids, Minnesota. While originally conceived as a private venture, in 1911 Congress approved federal funding for the dam to make it a joint private-public operation. Land was purchased from John Dunn, after whom the island in the middle of the channel is named. H. M. Byllesby & Company began construction the dam in January 1913 and was completed in March 1914; power generation began in August 1914. Over 42,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of the dam. It had 28 steel gates which were raised and lowered to allow water to flow under them. One of the original steel gates is available for viewing on the Anoka County side of the dam.
The dam does not contain a lock. In November 1913, after construction started, the St. Anthony Falls Commercial Club lobbied for Congress to add a lock to the dam, with the assistance of U.S. Representative George Ross Smith. However, as the river above the dam was deemed not to be navigable, the power company was not required to build the $150,000 lock. The lack of a lock makes it the theoretical northernmost navigable point on the Mississippi River; however, since 2015, the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock has been sealed to prevent the spread of Asian carp and as such Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis are the current practical limit.
By the 1960s, hydroelectric generation on the dam was no longer profitable due to increasing cheapness of coal and rising costs of dam upkeep. Power generation was halted in 1966. The plant was demolished in 1967, and in 1969 Northern States Power Company donated the dam to the Hennepin County Parks District. A walkway was constructed across the dam in 1977, and the park opened in 1978.
In 1994, Anoka County entered a thirty-year lease agreement with Three Rivers Park District for the Anoka County side of the dam. Due to the cost of upkeep, Three Rivers Park District considered selling the dam to the Minnesota Department for Natural Resources in 2010, resulting in a dispute with Anoka County in 2011 which caused Three Rivers Park district to revoke the lease. Anoka County ended up purchasing the leased land from the park district.
By the 1990s, the dam was facing serious wear and tear, and was rated a "significant hazard" by the Army Corps of Engineers with severe effects predicted if the dam collapsed, including possible deaths. Repairs were recommended within five years. The original concrete pilings were wearing away, foundation soil was eroding, and many of the twenty-eight wooden and metal gates were broken and twisted as a result of ice. From 1995 to 1997, Hennepin County Parks carried out a $6.2 million two-year plan to reconstruct the dam. While the original footings were used, the rest of the dam was entirely rebuilt. The new dam consisted of four gates made of inflatable rubber bladders. Tears in the bladders requiring repair occurred in 1997 and 2000, resulting in a complete replacement of the old bladders with an upgraded design by 2002.
With the spread of Asian carp further up the Mississippi, the inflatable rubber bladder gate design was considered ineffective at preventing the migration of carp. Between 2013 and 2014, the bladders were replaced by nine steel gates in a $16 million project. As part of the same renovation, a 450-foot stilling basin was installed, replacing a deteriorating concrete apron. During this time, the dam walkway was closed; it reopened in July 2015.
There have been proposals to restore power generation at the dam. Proposals by the park district from 2009 proposed a $30 million plant which would generate electricity for over 4,000 homes. The proposals have not gained traction.
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Coon Rapids Dam
The Coon Rapids Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Mississippi River located in Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of downtown Minneapolis. Between 1914 and 1966, it provided hydroelectric power generation for northern Twin Cities suburbs. Since 1969 it has been used primarily for recreation, with two county parks on either side connected by a 12-foot-wide walkway for cyclists and pedestrians. Suffering from serious wear and tear by the mid-1990s, it was entirely reconstructed from the foundations in 1997 and received further modifications in the early 2010s. As the southernmost dam on the Mississippi that does not have any locks, it is the theoretical northern terminus of the navigable portion of the Mississippi River. The dam is owned by Hennepin County's Three Rivers Park District; Anoka County owns and operates a park on its side of the river.
In 1898, plans began to form to build a hydroelectric power generation dam near Coon Rapids, Minnesota. While originally conceived as a private venture, in 1911 Congress approved federal funding for the dam to make it a joint private-public operation. Land was purchased from John Dunn, after whom the island in the middle of the channel is named. H. M. Byllesby & Company began construction the dam in January 1913 and was completed in March 1914; power generation began in August 1914. Over 42,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of the dam. It had 28 steel gates which were raised and lowered to allow water to flow under them. One of the original steel gates is available for viewing on the Anoka County side of the dam.
The dam does not contain a lock. In November 1913, after construction started, the St. Anthony Falls Commercial Club lobbied for Congress to add a lock to the dam, with the assistance of U.S. Representative George Ross Smith. However, as the river above the dam was deemed not to be navigable, the power company was not required to build the $150,000 lock. The lack of a lock makes it the theoretical northernmost navigable point on the Mississippi River; however, since 2015, the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock has been sealed to prevent the spread of Asian carp and as such Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis are the current practical limit.
By the 1960s, hydroelectric generation on the dam was no longer profitable due to increasing cheapness of coal and rising costs of dam upkeep. Power generation was halted in 1966. The plant was demolished in 1967, and in 1969 Northern States Power Company donated the dam to the Hennepin County Parks District. A walkway was constructed across the dam in 1977, and the park opened in 1978.
In 1994, Anoka County entered a thirty-year lease agreement with Three Rivers Park District for the Anoka County side of the dam. Due to the cost of upkeep, Three Rivers Park District considered selling the dam to the Minnesota Department for Natural Resources in 2010, resulting in a dispute with Anoka County in 2011 which caused Three Rivers Park district to revoke the lease. Anoka County ended up purchasing the leased land from the park district.
By the 1990s, the dam was facing serious wear and tear, and was rated a "significant hazard" by the Army Corps of Engineers with severe effects predicted if the dam collapsed, including possible deaths. Repairs were recommended within five years. The original concrete pilings were wearing away, foundation soil was eroding, and many of the twenty-eight wooden and metal gates were broken and twisted as a result of ice. From 1995 to 1997, Hennepin County Parks carried out a $6.2 million two-year plan to reconstruct the dam. While the original footings were used, the rest of the dam was entirely rebuilt. The new dam consisted of four gates made of inflatable rubber bladders. Tears in the bladders requiring repair occurred in 1997 and 2000, resulting in a complete replacement of the old bladders with an upgraded design by 2002.
With the spread of Asian carp further up the Mississippi, the inflatable rubber bladder gate design was considered ineffective at preventing the migration of carp. Between 2013 and 2014, the bladders were replaced by nine steel gates in a $16 million project. As part of the same renovation, a 450-foot stilling basin was installed, replacing a deteriorating concrete apron. During this time, the dam walkway was closed; it reopened in July 2015.
There have been proposals to restore power generation at the dam. Proposals by the park district from 2009 proposed a $30 million plant which would generate electricity for over 4,000 homes. The proposals have not gained traction.
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