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Road closed as crews search for extent of damage to dam
Officials are releasing more than 2,600 gallons of water per second out of Hugh Butler Lake while preparing to fix several holes in Red Willow Dam north of McCook.
The road across the dam is closed while drill crews and engineers conduct exploratory drilling from the crest and area below the dam to determine the extent of damage.
While several other holes were discovered during excavation, water is not actually leaking through the dam, said Marv Swanda of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
It is normal for dams to seep, but the draining is being done as a precautionary measure. Numerous experts are studying the situation while excavation search for extent of the damage.
The reservoir elevation Monday morning was 2,569.48 feet, with 19,320 acre-feet still in storage behind the dam.
"We are prepared to lower the reservoir elevation to at least 2,560 feet," Swanda wrote on the facility's Web site.
The downstream channel is monitored on a daily bases, and no problems are being experienced at the current discharge rate, according to the site.
"As we continue to investigate and monitor the dam," said Aaron Thompson, Reclamation's Nebraska-Kansas Area Manager, "we are drawing down the reservoir at a rate of approximately a half-foot per day."
"These operations are in support of our investigations and to ensure the safety of our crews and the public," Thompson said. "I appreciate the cooperation and patience of our partners and public as we move forward with these activities."
Thompson said that as a precaution, local emergency managers are being kept apprised of the situation, and Reclamation has established a Web page at www.usbr.gov/gp/nkao/redwillow/ to provide the public with the most up-to-date information available. Users can register at Reclamation's site to receive email or text updates as new information becomes available.
Red Willow Dam, located on Red Willow Creek about 11 miles north of McCook, is an earthfill embankment with a structural height of 126 feet that forms a reservoir of 85,070 acre-feet. An ungated concrete spillway is located in the right abutment. An outlet works through the base of the dam provides for river and irrigation releases for downstream diversions. The reservoir behind this dam is Hugh Butler Lake.