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Dam shored up as Tie Lake levels rise
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) has been working to add extra protection to its Tie Lake Dam as lake levels continue to rise.
“We have laid 1,000 sandbags around the weir and along the immediate shoreline and have just completed some rip rap on the dam and outlet culvert to prevent erosion of the dam during the high water run off,” explained Engineering Services Manager Brian Funke.
The RDEK has been monitoring the dam for the past three weeks.
“The past few nights have been cooler, so the rise in lake levels has slowed to approximately a quarter of an inch a day; however, for the 10 days prior, it was rising half inch per day,” added Funke.
The water is currently measuring 15” through the weir and the sandbags and rip rap have provided added height and additional protection should water levels continue to rise.
The dam had been scheduled for an upgrade and is one of the 2017/2018 priority projects adopted by the RDEK Board of Directors in February.
Following flooding in 2012, it was recommended by the Dam Safety Officer that the dam be assessed, particularly with respect to the lack of free board and the spillway capacity. In the summer of 2016, the RDEK commissioned Associated Engineering to complete an engineering assessment of the dam and provide conceptual designs and cost estimates for any recommended or required upgrades.
The capital cost of the upgrade project is expected to be $325,000. The RDEK has secured $260,000 in Community Works funding for the project and had already been planning a Tie Lake Dam Upgrade Information Meeting to discuss the project, detailed costs and tax impacts with the community prior to these high water levels.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 13 at 8 p.m. at the Jaffray Community Hall, immediately following the Electoral Area B Official Community Plan Open House.
“Our immediate concern is to protect the dam from erosion and overtopping, which is why we are undertaking the sandbagging and other mitigation measures,” said Funke. “The long term goal is to move ahead with the proposed Tie Lake Dam Upgrade Project, which would help increase the carrying capacity of the dam for future high water events like we are seeing this year.”
RDEK
