Crews are reinforcing an emergency spillway at Clausen Springs Dam in Barnes County, N.D., hoping to prevent the kind of severe erosion that forced residents downstream in Kathryn to flee their homes last April.
"We are in the process of armoring the damaged spillway, laying fabric, putting rock riprap and channeling flows should they start discharging over the spillway so that we're not looking at the same level of erosion as last year," said Jamie Smith, secretary of the Barnes County Water Resource District, which oversees the dam.
Flooding on Spring Creek, which feeds the dam and flows from it, forced the town of 55 people to evacuate for a few days last April when the spillway failed. National Guard helicopters dropped 1,000-pound sandbags to shore up the spillway.
Some residents are unhappy that the spillway hasn't been repaired since then, Smith said.
"We're hearing a little flak on that," she said.
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State and local sources committed $3 million in early December to repair the dam, so design and pre-engineering couldn't begin until then, Smith said. Soil borings revealed the existing spillway site won't support repairs, meaning the outlet will have to be moved to another area of the dam, Smith said.
For now, crews are reinforcing the spillway, and two volunteers are monitoring the dam twice a day, she said.
The water level was at 1,338.6 feet above sea level on Thursday morning, up about a foot over the same time Wednesday and up about 4 1/2 feet from a week ago. The top of the spillway is at 1,345 feet.
"Right now, things are looking really good. We're not seeing a huge increase in flows," Smith said. "There's certainly more to come."
The dam dominates conversation at the Sheyenne Saloon in Kathryn, head bartender Ryan Dodd said.
"They haven't done anything with it," he said. "They spent all year arguing about whose responsibility it is."
Last week, residents gathered at the fire hall next door for a meeting about the flood potential.
"Basically, they told everybody to have a box with your immediate items that you're going to need by the door, ready to leave in a minute's notice in case the dam gives way," Dodd said.
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Smith said residents will receive notice if the pool level reaches 1,344 feet or if it begins to rise sharply.
Downstream residents should be "concerned and alert," she said.
"The water board is confident with the forecast we have in hand, but it's still going to be protected and monitored," she said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
