Blue Earth County officials weigh future of Rapidan Dam after devastating flooding led to partial failure, compromised nearby bridge
MANKATO, Minn. — Should it stay or should it go?
Blue Earth County officials are discussing the future of the Rapidan Dam after devastating flooding last month led to its partial failure and impacted a nearby bridge, which is closed indefinitely due to safety concerns. That may mean removing the 114-year-old structure, which once powered electricity in the area, altogether.
Ryan Thilges, public works director, said the county could choose to remove the dam, leave it in place as is, repair it or replace it. The latter two options would be challenging because repairing the dam could reignite the same problems — it was determined to be in disrepair before the recent flooding occurred — and the Department of Natural Resources is unlikely to grant the permit to replace it, he explained.
The bridge will need to be replaced and not repaired, too, he said, because the fixes to the current one would "really exceed what would be reasonable to put into a 40-year-old bridge."
But both the bridge and dam's futures are linked.
"The decisions on the dam are going to be highly impactful to the decisions on the bridge and vice versa," he told the county board during a meeting Tuesday.
The panel heard Thilges' report but did not take any action during the work session. Board chair Kevin Paap, whose district includes the dam, told WCCO he's heard from residents concerned about the bridge's closure, like farmers who rely on it. He hopes to make a decision quickly.
"What I've heard is people need a bridge there. And we need that bridge restored and I probably will lean into doing something to get the best bridge built we can for the community," Paap said Wednesday in an interview. If the county chooses to remove the dam, a new bridge could be built in its place.
Roads leading to the County Road 9 bridge by the dam are closed off and fences barricade it. Thilges said it is "very dangerous" and applauded the sheriff's office for issuing tickets for trespassers to the area. During the flooding, rapid erosion from the roaring waters caused a home to collapse into the river.
It is not clear when the bridge will reopen and Paap said FEMA still needs to do more work assessing the cost of the damage, though at this point Thilges told the board it appears the federal disaster agency will pay for restoring it to pre-existing conditions.
The board will receive more details and discuss funding options for repairs at its next meeting on Aug. 13.