Lock and Dam No. 7

Lock and Dam No. 7[1]
Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 7
Lock and Dam No. 7 is located in Minnesota
Lock and Dam No. 7
Location of the Lock and Dam No. 7 on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin
CountryUnited States
LocationWinona County, Minnesota
La Crosse County, Wisconsin
near La Crescent, Minnesota
Coordinates43°52′01″N 91°18′26″W / 43.86694°N 91.30722°W / 43.86694; -91.30722
PurposeNavigation
StatusIn use
Construction began1933; 91 years ago (1933)
Opening dateApril 1937; 87 years ago (1937)
Operator(s) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsUpper Mississippi River
Height (foundation)41 ft (12 m)
Length10,860 ft (3,310 m)
Spillways2
Spillway type5 Roller Gates
11 Tainter Gates
Spillway capacity273,000 acre⋅ft (0.337 km3)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Onalaska
Pool No. 7
Total capacity5,000 acre⋅ft (0.0062 km3)
Catchment area62,340 sq mi (161,500 km2)
Surface area13,440 acres (54.4 km2)
Normal elevation636 ft (194 m)[2]
Hydraulic head25
NIDID# MN00587

Lock and Dam No. 7 is a lock and dam located on the Upper Mississippi River at river mile 702.5 near the cities of La Crescent, Minnesota and Onalaska, Wisconsin. It forms pool 7 and Lake Onalaska. The facility was constructed in the mid-1930s and placed in operation in April 1937. It underwent major rehabilitation from 1989 through 2002. The lock and dam are owned and operated by the St. Paul District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers-Mississippi Valley Division.

The lock and dam system consists of a concrete structure 940 feet (286.5 m) long with five roller gates and 11 tainter gates, a segment of earth embankment 8,100 feet (2,468.9 m) long from the dam to French Island separated by a concrete spillway 1,000 feet (304.8 m) long, and another embankment 2,400 feet (731.5 m) long from French Island to Onalaska which has a concrete spillway 670 feet (204.2 m) long. The lock is 110 feet (33.5 m) wide by 600 feet (182.9 m) long.[3] The lock and dam is one of the most visited because of its proximity to Interstate 90, and is clearly visible to travelers crossing the I-90 Mississippi River Bridge.


https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221158/http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/48/docs/CC/FactSheets/MISS/UMR%20Locks%20%26%20Dams%20-%202016%20%28MVD%29.pdf

  1. ^ "The National Inventory of Dams (NID)". nid.usace.army.mil. United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 26 Mar 2017.
  2. ^ Lake Onalaska on Topozone.com
  3. ^ "Lock and Dam 7". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 2012-08-19.