5.7. SR 12-06-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 1 of 2 Jim Rosman From: Jim Rossman [jimprossman@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 9:07 AM To: jimprossman@gmail.com Subject: Jim Rossman sent you an article from startribune.com Jim Rosman wrote these comments: What to do with the Coon Raapids Dam This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by JimRossman. "Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here. Officials wonder what to do with Coon Rapids Dam LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune The Coon Rapids Dam on the Mississippi River has a new failure in its concrete apron -- a problem that is not yet a safety concern but could cost millions to repair, a Three Rivers Park District inspection shows. Repairing the cracked area with steel pilings could cost $1.5 million to $2 million, and reinforcing the entire apron could cost $6 million or more, Bill Holman of Stanley Consultants advised the park board. Three Rivers officials are scheduled to discuss the problem with the Department of Natural Resources on Jan. 6 and with park board members later in the month. The apron, an underwater layer of concrete, takes the pounding of the river water spilling over the dam and prevents scouring that could undermine the dam structure. Scuba divers inspecting the dam found a section of apron had broken up "and large pieces were lying on the bottom," Holman said. A similar failure was found in 2004 and repaired with steel piling at a cost of $1.2 million in 2005. Two failures in five years raise the odds that more of the apron will fail and other repairs will be needed, Holman said. Sonar soundings already indicate another area of concern, he said. The dam was built in 1913 and rehabbed in 1998. Once used to generate electricity, the dam now serves primarily a recreational purpose: It backs up the flow of Mississippi River water to create asix-mile lake for boating and fishing. The park district accepted the dam as a gift from Northern States Power in 1969 along with 225 acres of park land on the Mississippi. Now the park district is a responsible but reluctant dam owner, and since the mid-1990s it has been looking for another entity to take it over, said Margie Walz, associate superintendent for Three Rivers. "It's not in the interest of the park district to run a dam. It's becoming very expensive." The district tries not to have dam costs paid entirely by suburban Hennepin County residents whose property taxes support the Park District. When the district made the $1.2 million repair in 2005, the state dam repair fund paid $250,000 of the cost. Since 1974, the dam has undergone $11 million in major repairs, and Three Rivers has paid $4 million, with the balance coming from the state and a Metropolitan Council agency, 11/1/2010