207.340—Reservoirs at headwaters of the Mississippi River; use and administration.
(a) Description.
These reservoirs include Winnibigoshish, Leech Lake, Pokegama, Sandy Lake, Pine River and Gull Lake.
(b) Penalties.
The River and Harbor Act approved August 11, 1888 (25 Stat. 419, 33 U.S.C. 601) includes the following provisions as to the administration of the headwater reservoirs:
And it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War to prescribe such rules and regulations in respect to the use and administration of said reservoirs as, in his judgment, the public interest and necessity may require; which rules and regulations shall be posted in some conspicuous place or places for the information of the public. And any person knowingly and willfully violating such rules and regulations shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, the same to be enforced by prosecution in any district court of the United States within whose territorial jurisdiction such offense may have been committed.
(c) Previous regulations now revoked.
In accordance with the above act, the Secretary of War prescribed regulations for the use and administration of the reservoirs at the headwaters of the Mississippi River under date of February 11, 1931, which together with all subsequent amendments are hereby revoked and the following substituted therefor.
(d) Authority of officer in charge of the reservoirs.
The accumulation of water in, and discharge of water from the reservoirs, including that from one reservoir to another, shall be under the direction of the U.S. District Engineer, St. Paul, Minnesota, and of his authorized agents subject to the following restrictions and considerations:
(1)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the discharge from any reservoir may be varied at any time as required to permit inspection of, or repairs to, the dams, dikes or their appurtenances, or to prevent damage to lands or structures above or below the dams.
(2)
Except as provided in paragraph (d)(1) of this section the average annual discharge from the respective reservoirs shall not be reduced below the following values, as nearly as they can practically be maintained:
Winnibigoshish, 150 cubic feet per second.
Leech Lake, 70 cubic feet per second.
Pokegama, 200 cubic feet per second.
Sandy Lake, 80 cubic feet per second.
Pine River, 90 cubic feet per second.
Gull Lake, 30 cubic feet per second.
(3)
During the season of navigation on the upper Mississippi River, the volume of water discharged from the reservoirs shall be so regulated by the officer in charge as to maintain as nearly as practicable, until navigation closes, a sufficient stage of water in the navigable reaches of the upper Mississippi and in those of any tributary thereto that may be navigated and on which a reservoir is located.
(4)
Surplus waters in storage above the stages listed in paragraph (d)(7) of this section not required for use in the aid of navigation, as provided for in paragraph (d)(3) of this section, may be discharged at such time and at such rates as will result, in the judgment of the District Engineer, in the greatest general benefit or the minimum of injuries to all affected interests.
(5)
No discharge other than the minimum specified in paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall be permitted when a reservoir is at or below its minimum stage as set forth in paragraph (d)(7) of this section except such increases of discharge as may specifically be directed by the Chief of Engineers.
(6)
The surplus inflow over the minimum discharge set forth in paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall be stored until the limit of capacity or safety of the reservoir is reached, or until such time as water may be discharged in accordance with this section.
(7)
So far as practicable, under the requirements of this section, the officer in charge will cause the reservoirs to be maintained above the following minimum stages, referred to zeros of respective Government gauges:
| Winnebigoshish | 6.0 |
| Leech Lake | 0.0 |
| Pokegama | 6.0 |
| Sandy Lake | 7.0 |
| Pine River | 9.0 |
| Gull Lake | 5.0 |
The range of fluctuations in levels in any reservoir in a single calendar year shall be held at a minimum consistent with the requirements of this section and with the inflow of that year. If, through necessity reservoirs are drawn below these stages, minimum stages will be restored at the first practicable opportunity.
(e) Passage of logs and other floating bodies.
Logs and other floating bodies may be sluiced or locked through the dams, but prior authority for the sluicing of logs must be obtained from the District Engineer when this operation necessitates a material change in discharge.
(f) Obstructions to flow of water.
No person shall place floating bodies in a stream or pond above or below a reservoir dam when, in the opinion of the officer in charge, such act would prevent the necessary flow of water to or from such dam, or in any way injure the dam and its appurtenances, its dikes and embankments; and should floating bodies lying above or below a dam constitute at any time an obstruction or menace as beforesaid, the owners of said floating bodies will be required to remove them immediately.
(g) Trespass.
No one shall trespass on any reservoir dam, dike, embankment or upon any property pertaining thereto.