By Julie Johansen
Crews are currently moving ahead on both the earth work and spillway on the Millsite Dam Rehabilitation Project. The placing of the rock on the downstream side of the dam is just past the bend and moving north with expectations of finishing on that side within the next two weeks. Then, the rip-rap on the top and the upstream face of the dam will also be completed.
After months of waiting for a redesign with federal and state approvals, the concrete work on the spillway is moving forward as well. Holes are now being drilled in the floor to add the needed rebar and the cracks in the existing walls are being patched. Some new inner walls are being constructed to channel the water when the runoff begins. This will enable construction to continue while the water is spilling. The temporary plywood walls are being removed and replaced with concrete.
There is hope that the bridge for the golf course will be moved to its permanent location soon. The footing for the ends will have to be poured and cured for a week before a crane will be brought in to move the bridge. Rough grading at hole #3 will soon be done but no top soil or finishing can be done until the spillway is complete as construction crews will have to travel on and around that area.
The water coming into the reservoir is being used nearly as fast as it is coming in; however, depending on the warming of the weather, a spill date could happen sometime in May. The earliest date for spilling in the last 12 years was on May 8 and the latest one was in June. Ferron City has turned on its secondary system and the irrigation company has it in pipelines, but the canal is not yet opened. The reservoir level is about 10 feet from its temporary fill level and could spill or the outlet flow will be increased. All these variables will determine the spilling of the reservoir, but work can continue even through spilling.
