Dams in Minnesota

%!s(int=1122)Total Dams

44High Hazard

123Significant

928Low Hazard

Dam Safety in Minnesota

Minnesota has 1,122 dams tracked in the National Inventory of Dams. Of these, 44 (3%) are classified as high hazard — meaning failure would probably cause loss of human life — and 123 are classified as significant hazard. Currently, 80 dams in the state have a condition assessment of poor or unsatisfactory, indicating recognized safety deficiencies.

The average dam in Minnesota is 60 years old. The most common purpose for dams in Minnesota is flood risk reduction, accounting for 402 of the state's dams.

Use the search above to find dams near any address in Minnesota, or browse by county below. Each dam listing includes its hazard potential classification, condition assessment, physical characteristics, and inspection history from the NID.

Minnesota Dam Facts

Total Dams	1,122
High Hazard Dams	44
Average Dam Age	60 years
Tallest Dam	250 ft
Largest Reservoir	3,428,000 acre-ft
Poor/Unsatisfactory Condition	80

Notable Dams in Minnesota

Erie Basin 2250 ftSignificant Essar Steel Tailings Basin200 ftSignificant Erie Basin 1200 ftSignificant Poly Met Hrf Dam111 ftSignificant Canisteo No. 2 North100 ftLow

Counties in Minnesota

2 dams Aitkin20 dams Anoka5 dams Becker35 dams Beltrami7 dams Benton3 dams1 high hazard Big Stone7 dams Blue Earth8 dams Brown5 dams Buffalo1 dams Carlton19 dams1 high hazard Carver12 dams Cass25 dams2 high hazard Chippewa5 dams Chisago5 dams1 high hazard Clay8 dams1 high hazard Clearwater10 dams Cook3 dams Cottonwood15 dams Crow Wing14 dams2 high hazard Dakota8 dams2 high hazard Dodge3 dams Douglas17 dams Faribault5 dams Fillmore36 dams1 high hazard Freeborn11 dams Goodhue34 dams2 high hazard Grant13 dams Hennepin14 dams Houston25 dams1 high hazard Hubbard6 dams Isanti7 dams Itasca58 dams Jackson9 dams Kanabec16 dams Kandiyohi16 dams1 high hazard Kittson7 dams1 high hazard Koochiching5 dams La Crosse1 dams Lac qui Parle4 dams1 high hazard Lake13 dams1 high hazard Lake of the Woods2 dams Le Sueur8 dams Lincoln27 dams Lyon71 dams Mahnomen4 dams Marshall26 dams Martin5 dams McLeod5 dams Meeker4 dams Mille Lacs7 dams Morrison10 dams Mower15 dams Murray9 dams Nicollet4 dams Nobles7 dams Norman14 dams Olmsted18 dams7 high hazard Otter Tail30 dams1 high hazard Pennington2 dams Pine10 dams Pipestone5 dams Polk18 dams Pope14 dams Ramsey5 dams1 high hazard Red Lake8 dams Redwood24 dams1 high hazard Renville2 dams Rice13 dams1 high hazard Rock4 dams Roseau10 dams Scott14 dams Sherburne14 dams1 high hazard Sibley3 dams St. Louis63 dams8 high hazard Stearns8 dams1 high hazard Steele5 dams Stevens6 dams Swift6 dams Todd14 dams Traverse5 dams1 high hazard Wabasha17 dams1 high hazard Waseca7 dams Washington10 dams Watonwan1 dams Wilkin4 dams Winona23 dams Wright7 dams Yellow Medicine17 dams3 high hazard

High Hazard Dams in Minnesota

Dam	County	Height	Condition	Purpose
Hibbing Taconite Tailings Basin	St. Louis	100 ft		Tailings
Northshore Mining	Lake	100 ft		Tailings
Hibbing Taconite Reclaim Pond	St. Louis	100 ft		Tailings
Fond Du Lac	St. Louis	80 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
South Zumbro Br-1	Olmsted	75 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Canby R-6	Yellow Medicine	66 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Lake Zumbro	Wabasha	65 ft		Hydroelectric
Canby R-1	Yellow Medicine	62 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Crooked Creek R-3	Houston	60 ft		Flood Risk Reduction
Orwell Dam	Otter Tail	60 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Belle Creek R-4	Goodhue	56 ft		Flood Risk Reduction
South Zumbro Wr-6a	Olmsted	56 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Belle Creek R-2	Goodhue	55 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Fargo-moorhead Diversion	Clay	54 ft		Flood Risk Reduction
South Zumbro Sr-2	Olmsted	50 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Eveleth Taconite Tailings	St. Louis	50 ft		Tailings
Sartell	Benton	46 ft	Fair	Hydroelectric
South Zumbro Wr-4	Olmsted	46 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Canby R-4a	Yellow Medicine	46 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Thomson Canal Dam	Carlton	45 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Inland Steel Tailings	St. Louis	44 ft		Tailings
Redwood Falls	Redwood	41 ft		Hydroelectric
Lake Bronson	Kittson	38 ft	Poor	Flood Risk Reduction
South Zumbro Kr-6	Olmsted	37 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Sylvan	Cass	35 ft	Fair	Hydroelectric
South Zumbro Kr-7	Olmsted	35 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Lac Qui Parle Dam	Lac qui Parle	35 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Lanesboro	Fillmore	34 ft		Hydroelectric
White Rock Dam	Traverse	33 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Battle Creek	Ramsey	30 ft		Flood Risk Reduction
South Zumbro Kr-3	Olmsted	30 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Taylors Falls Wall	Chisago	30 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Fish Lake	St. Louis	25 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Elk River	Sherburne	23 ft		Recreation
St. Cloud	Stearns	23 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Pine River Dam - Dikes 13 And 14	Crow Wing	23 ft	Not Available	Fish and Wildlife Pond
Pillager	Cass	22 ft	Fair	Hydroelectric
New London	Kandiyohi	22 ft		Recreation
Sunset Lake	Dakota	21 ft		Flood Risk Reduction
Island Lake North Dike	St. Louis	21 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Brainerd	Crow Wing	21 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
King's Mill	Rice	17 ft	Fair	Recreation
Hartley Pond	St. Louis	15 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Lake Byllesby Perimeter Embankment	Dakota	9 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric