Surfing in downtown Anoka? $55M project could turn Rum River Dam into a whitewater attraction

Twin Cities surfers often have to drive up to Lake Superior to catch a wave.

But a proposed $55 million project offers a much closer alternative: How about surfing in downtown Anoka?

The city is working on a project to upgrade the Rum River Dam, less than a mile from the river’s confluence with the Mississippi River. The city is seeking funding for the project, which would modernize the dam, create a pedestrian bridge and add a lock for boats to travel from the upper Rum to the Mississippi.

The reconstruction also could turn the dam into a whitewater park, where surfers could ride a standing wave while kayakers, paddleboarders and tubers float down the channel.

“That would be prime time,” said David Kohl, a Woodbury resident who has made surfboards out of his garage for a decade.

Kohl believes the dam could easily become a draw for water sports lovers, especially as river surfing grows in popularity. Surfers seek out whitewater conditions that are naturally ripe for the sport, such as at Sturgeon Falls on the Winnipeg River in in Manitoba — around 80 miles from Winnipeg and over 500 miles from the Twin Cities.

In Minnesota, Anoka could be the first to offer surfing at a human-made, dam-controlled whitewater park, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Similar attractions featuring river surfing are popping up across the country, including in cities such as Boise, Idaho, and Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Other cities in Minnesota are working on building whitewater parks. Austin could add whitewater kayaking and paddleboarding on the Cedar River. Rochester plans to modify the Silver Lake Dam to add wave pools for kayaking and canoeing.

“Each of the river communities in Minnesota, I think, are trying to find their niche. What is unique about Anoka is our river is right attached to downtown,” said Lisa LaCasse, public services administrator with the city of Anoka. “That makes this have really cool tourist attraction potential.”

On warm days, fishermen cast lines off the bridge overlooking the Rum River Dam.

Kayakers paddle to the dam from the Mississippi River, dock behind City Hall and visit downtown bars and restaurants. Food trucks line up, and bands take the stage at Riverfront Memorial Park.

City officials have worked to keep crowds coming to the historic downtown with festivals and events and were the first in Minnesota to create a social district, allowing patrons to buy alcoholic drinks and walk around with them.

City leaders believe the Rum River Dam could become a large attraction downtown.

The city has been studying reconstructing the dam, which has been owned by Anoka since 1935 and was rebuilt in 1969. In 2023, the city was granted $500,000 for a feasibility study as part of the state bonding bill.

State Rep. Zack Stephenson, a DFLer who represents Anoka, helped encourage the city to study a recreational feature.

“It turned out to be very feasible, and in my opinion, economically viable,“ Stephenson said.

The dam, according to the feasibility study, has strong enough water flow and a 12-foot drop for a whitewater feature and surfing wave. LaCasse said it’s possible to build a channel where the water level would drop two or three feet at a time, with controlled waves allowing fun-seekers to ride down by paddleboard, kayak, inner tube or surfboard.

“It would be something easy and maneuverable for beginners,” she said.

Officials believe the feature would be a draw not only for those seeking a thrill but also for people to gather around and watch. The city envisions possible festivals or competitions.

“Given the proximity to downtown and the social district, it’s a natural pairing there,” Stephenson said. “You could grab a beer at 10K Brewing, then walk a block and a half to the Rum River Dam on a sunny day and watch people surf on the river.”

The whitewater feature, city officials said, also could be used by emergency medical responders across the region for swift-water rescue training.

Cory Pinewski, manager at Pinewski’s Ski & Board Shop in Anoka, said his shop does good business selling boards for wakesurfing. He expects surfing would become more popular in the Twin Cities if residents had access to an artificial wave.

“To surf right now, you pretty much need a boat,” he said. “If the city of Anoka was able to do something that didn’t require a boat, I feel like it’d be super popular.”

Surfboard-maker Kohl believes the attraction would be “welcomed into the Anoka community.

“I think you’d have an easy time building a surf community around it.”

Another key piece of the project would be connecting the upper Rum to the Mississippi.

LaCasse said the older dam is in need of updating, including the replacement of an antiquated overflow spillway system, where workers manually hoist timber flashboards to raise the elevation in the summer. That creates a recreational pool above the dam, which extends six miles upstream and serves Andover and Ramsey.

The project would install automated crest gates instead.

It would also add a lock, allowing pontoons and smaller boats to travel from the upper pool of the Rum River to the Mississippi River. That’s a connection that hasn’t existed in decades; kayakers today have to portage around the dam and relaunch.

“That opens up miles of navigational river for people above and below the dam,” LaCasse said.

The project also features a pedestrian bridge, which would loop around and connect both sides of the river. Plans include a passage for fish to access either side of the dam to support the spawning of native fish.

Officials are studying options for renewable energy, such as solar panels and a river water system to heat and cool City Hall.

The City Council in March moved the work forward, but the project is still preliminary. Many studies are needed and the work would require approvals from several agencies. City officials are also seeking state funding and grants.