In order to make Millsite Dam safer, Staker Parsons, formerly Nielson Constuction, has started a massive rehabilitation project.
“This will raise the dam by four feet and change the slope of the downstream face from 1.75 to 1, to a new 2.25 to 1,” project manager Eric Luke explained. “This means that the toe of the dam will extend out much farther. Also, there will be a 30.5 foot berm at the base of the dam. The rock face had to be removed and will be replaced with a blanket draw of sand and gravel,” he said. The spillway will also be enlarged.
Before construction could begin, much of the reservoir had to be drained. Ferron Canal Company used as much of the water as possible before the August 1 reconstruction start date.
This construction has necessitated changes at the golf course, campground, and boat ramp. The golf course has added a new shorter par three between holes five and six to replace hole three, which is under the construction now. The course will remain an 18-hole course. With the higher dam, there will be more water retention, meaning some campsites at the campground will be raised and the boat ramp will be reconstructed. All of this is being supervised by the superintendent of the project, Mark Greenhalgh.
