Moving the earth for the Cedar Valley Reservoir Repair Project pales in comparison to moving the bureaucracy to get it done. Repairing the flood damage caused in 2019 involves Federal Regulations for design, permits and making sure no Native American Cultural sites or native species are disrupted by the repair, all this plus repairs, need to be done by June of 2023. The spillway is designed to allow water to run around the dam and down the back of the outflow area, instead of cresting the dam and starting to tear away its main structure. In 2019 the spillway protected the dam but damaged the spillway channel, which could affect the integrity of the dam itself. Garnett applied for FEMA funds for the repair and was approved, but the 2020 pandemic shutdown put off the project for the past two years.
McClure Engineering says time will be tight, but not impossible to complete the project. They plan to forward an engineering report to the City by August, complete a design by October, receive permits by January and award bids in February for work to be completed the following June.
