County extends dam work
Staff writer
Work to repair damage caused by a June 2021 wash-over at Marion County Lake’s dam has been was extended another three weeks because engineers overseeing the work have recommended that all the south side of the dam — not just portions that had the worst washouts — be repaired.
Heavy rains in June 2021 overflowed the dam, causing major structural damage. Six large washouts appeared, and the dam was deemed “a significant hazard” by engineers.
During the storm, water ran over a low-water bridge and spillway, causing six large washouts along the side of the dam and above its stilling pool.
The state Division of Water Resources said the dam was not an imminent threat but further deterioration was inevitable.
In a special meeting last week, county commissioners viewed the dam after months of work and voted to have the rest of the south side repaired.
“The repairs of the damage are very, very good,” commission chairman David Mueller said. “It just made sense to repair the rest.”
Mueller said the dam repair is now estimated to cost $95,000.
Workers will install landscape fabric and cover it with riprap to hold it in place.
When work was begun last year, workers repaired scarps and gullies to prevent further erosion and slope degradation, repaired a slope diversion berm, and removed structures in the lake’s auxiliary spillway inlet channel.
The dam was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration.