ST. PAUL, Minn. -- High water flow has prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close the three Twin Cities locks and dams to commercial traffic.

The Corps closed the locks to barges Tuesday night. The locks were closed to recreational boats Monday morning.

The Corps says flows on the Mississippi River have passed 40,000 cubic feet per second. At that point, the Corps is required to close the locks and dams because the high flows are unsafe for commercial boats.

Recent heavy rains contributed to the increase in water. The locks and dams might not reopen to commercial traffic until around June 8.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)