The City of Anoka is planning a significant redevelopment of the historic Rum River Dam in the city’s downtown area. The $51 million project, which is in its preliminary design phase, would include a whitewater surfing park for kayaks and paddle boards.
The Rum River Dam was first built in 1853 to power mills and woodworking shops along the banks of the Rum River. Roughly 80 years after it was constructed, Anoka took ownership of the dam. The current structure was built in 1969 and is roughly 79 yards across.
Now, Anoka is proposing a massive change to the dam and its surrounding infrastructure. That change would introduce a whitewater surfing park, a navigation lock for boats, a new fish passage, dam modernization, and a pedestrian and maintenance bridge.
Among other things, the redevelopment would modernize the existing dam and allow boats to travel between the Mississippi River and the Rum River. However, the whitewater surfing feature has quickly become the most talked-about part of the project.
A city rendering of the proposed whitewater park shows kayakers traversing rapids as they navigate through a long pool that runs along the west side of the river. That pool, which is dotted with rocks and trees, starts at the top of the dam and empties into the river.
City plans say the whitewater surfing park would be the first of its kind in Minnesota and “make Anoka a unique river recreation tourism destination.” Additionally, the city claims whitewater attractions can generate millions of dollars per year for the local economy.
While the dam modernization project is currently in its preliminary design phase, the city hopes to begin construction in 2028 and complete the redevelopment in 2030.
According to the city, the project would cost $51 million. To date, roughly $10.1 million has been obtained by the city for the project. The vast majority of those funds have come from state grants. However, one of those grants, totaling $6.2 million, may soon be rescinded.
Earlier this month, Alpha News reported that Anoka County has filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Transportation that seeks to prevent a $6.2 million grant from being transferred to the City of Anoka for the dam project’s pedestrian bridge.
In that lawsuit, Anoka County alleges that the funds in question were previously dedicated to the county and cannot be given to the City of Anoka without the approval of the county.
Anoka County has indicated it has no plan to issue such an approval and noted that two pedestrian bridges already exist within a quarter-mile of the Rum River Dam.
Further, the county alleges that DFL State Rep. Zack Stephenson orchestrated the pending transfer. Specifically, the county’s lawsuit accuses the DFLer of misusing the legislative process to “finance his own pet project at the expense of Anoka County taxpayers.”
Stephenson represents the City of Anoka and a portion of Coon Rapids in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Last month, he was elected leader of the House DFL Caucus.
Should the City of Anoka be allowed to keep the $6.2 million grant, it is still more than $40 million away from reaching its $51 million goal. City documents state that “Anoka is pursuing available federal and state grants” to gather more project funds.
Alpha News contacted the city’s project managers for this story but did not hear back.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
