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Elizabeth Dunbar
St. Paul, Minn.

Congress may close Mississippi River lock to slow spread of invasive carp

Asian carp fight
Equipment operator Kent Sandahl, right, helps tie down an Aggregate Industries barge filled with 2,400 tons of crushed limestone and sand Wednesday, April 4, 2012 along the Mississippi River in north Minneapolis. The materials were mined on Grey Cloud Island in St. Paul Park and then shipped upriver through the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock and dam. If the invasive Asian carp is found nearby in the river, a bill moving through Congress might close the lock and dam to river traffic.
MPR Photo/Jennifer Simonson, File

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Congress will soon consider a bill that includes a provision to close a key Mississippi River lock to slow the spread of invasive carp.

Minnesota's congressional delegation pushed for the provision to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock in Minneapolis. The measure is in the water infrastructure bill, which now goes to the House and Senate for final votes.

Invasive carp have been found in Minnesota, but experts have not found any evidence that they are yet breeding in state waters. Supporters of the move to close the St. Anthony Falls lock within one year say it would prevent the invasive fish from moving northward and threatening Minnesota's lakes and streams.

Map: Aquatic invasive species spread across Minn.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and many environmental groups support closing the St. Anthony Falls lock.