Dr. John Anfinson is the former superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), and the current river historian of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. He has been researching, writing, and speaking about the Mississippi River for more than 40 years.
His April 21, 2026 presentation at the Highland Park Community Center Auditorium, “From Rapids to Reservoirs and Back Again?”, invited listeners to imagine the future of Mississippi River Gorge. The event was sponsored by the Highland District Council, the National Parks Conservation Association, and Saint Paul Parks Conservancy.
He told the 140 plus attendees that, “For the first time since the Twin Cities’ founding, we have an opportunity to redefine the Mississippi River as it flows through our metro area.” The area he was referring to is called the Gorge, an 8.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi that runs from St. Anthony Falls to its confluence with the Minnesota River just below Fort Snelling.
In the Gorge, the river drops 110 feet, or roughly the height of an 11-story building. Prior to the construction of dams, this stretch of the Mississippi was wild and unnavigable. To extend commercial navigation northward, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Lock and Dam #1, also called the Ford Dam, in 1917. The Lower and Upper St. Anthony Falls Locks and Dams were built in 1956 and 1963 respectively. Congress directed the Corps to permanently close the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in 2015, which ended commercial barge traffic through the Gorge.
What we know
All three dams are now functionally obsolete, and commercial navigation will not be returning to this section of the river. A disposition study is underway, in which the Corps will make recommendations as to what they believe should happen next. The Corps began its study in 2016, and expects to release a draft of it next spring for agency and public review/comment.
According to Anfinson, “The Upper St. Anthony Falls Dam must stay in place. The City of Minneapolis draws its water supply from the reservoir above the falls. Xcel Energy owns the dam, and its removal would destroy St. Anthony Falls along with its reservoir. But there is a choice as to whether the other two locks and dams remain or come out.”
As a river historian, Anfinson has culled over old maps of the river as it was in its un-dammed state. He described the Gorge as having once been a diverse habitat for fish and wildlife and said, “If the two lower dams were removed, there would be significant habitat improvements for fish and wildlife on this section of the river. The water quality of the Mississippi would be improved with increased oxygenation from fast-moving water.”
What we don’t know
One of the big unanswered questions is, “How much sediment is contained behind the two dams, and where would it go?” It can’t simply be released because of its quantity, and also because it’s not yet known what toxic materials it contains.
The Minneapolis Rowing Club, with a state-of-the-art rowing facility underneath the Lake Street Bridge, and the University of Minnesota Women’s Rowing Team and Men’s Rowing Club would be unable to use the faster moving water for their training and enjoyment. The Minneapolis Queen Tour Boats and Paradise Charter Cruises, which offer public sightseeing and meal cruises departing from Bohemian Flats Park, would also be unable to operate if the dams were removed. Where would these boat clubs and businesses relocate to and at whose cost?
The upstream spread of invasive species is another major concern that has not been fully addressed. Anfinson said, “We’re actually dealing with about 100 invasive species of different kinds in the Mississippi River, not just Asian Carp. I believe that one of the best things we could do to curtail invasive species is to restore native habitat – and that would happen with dam removal.”
What’s next
With this most recent presentation and with others he has given, Anfinson is advocating for community engagement. He said, “Whatever your opinion, talk to your elected officials. If it gets on their radar, they’ll start to pay attention. Keeping the locks and dams is as much of an intentional choice as taking them out. The Corps is basing their decision on a 50-year time line. Every dollar spent on these non-functioning locks and dams is a dollar taken from away from those that are still serving their mission of making navigation possible further downstream.”
According to Anfinson, “Friends of the Mississippi River, the National Parks Conservation Association, American Rivers, representatives from the University of Minnesota and Macalester College have meetings every two weeks to discuss how we can move this conversation forward.” Awaiting answers to many questions, the National Parks Conservation Association and Friends of the Mississippi River have not yet taken a stance on whether or not they support dam removal.
Anfinson, however, remains excited about the possibility. He said, “We have a lot of issues to address first. If we learn there are so many toxins in the sediment that we just can’t cause a disturbance, then that’s that. But the next chapter of this story is ours to write. It’s not just an option – it’s a responsibility.”
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