Dam completion on target for lake to begin filling after Fourth of July
By Anna Jauhola
Final construction phases are well underway at the Lake Bronson Dam.
Ames Construction came back on site earlier this spring, and have been working to complete the bridge deck over the dam and the approach panels. On Thursday, June 4, a concrete crew was busy pouring those panels, which will then allow crews to work on the barrier rails for the bridge.
“There will be a 10-foot walkway trail on the bridge,” said Tyler Doll, Ames project engineer. “It’s going to be better than the one-way traffic we keep going over.”
THIS CREW FROM AMES CONSTRUCTIOn worked on pouring concrete approach panels to the bridge deck above the new dam at Lake Bronson State Park on Thursday, June 4. Crews are also working on diverting the stream channel below the dam and building a coffer dam around the former structure to prepare for its demolition.
(Enterprise photo by Anna Jauhola)
He added that the spillway is now complete, along with the weirs on the top part of the dam. The bridge girders were also set last fall before freeze-up. Right now, the crew has been finishing up the new river channel below the spillway. This week, a contractor came in and seeded the topsoil along the new banks to the north and east of that channel.
Final work in the spillway, such as caulking joints, will also be completed as larger work is happening on the lake side of the dam.
“We’re currently building the Phase 2 coffer dam. That is basically an earthen dam that’ll block the flow (of the river) and divert it to the new spillway,” Doll said. “Once we have that (coffer dam) done, then we’re ready to go on demoing the old bridge and dam.”
The coffer dam will give Ames the space needed to demo the old dam. He said the demolition of the old dam and bridge should take about three weeks, including backfilling the hole left behind.
With any major project, plans can change rapidly. Recently, rain has delayed some work. However, Doll is confident the timeline should stay on track for the lake to start refilling after the Fourth of July. Weather has been the biggest obstacle.
For that to happen, the next stage is for DeWind One Pass Trenching out of Michigan to complete the bentonite and cement seepage cutoff wall along the lake side. Doll said they should be able to complete that stage in three or four weeks.
Once that cutoff wall is complete, Ames will begin building the roadway, build the fishing pier and do general cleanup, including removing the coffer dam.
In a perfect world, Lake Bronson will be filled this year – but not usable until 2027.
Officials remind the public the lakebed and other certain areas in the park remain off limits to the general public. Even when the lake is filled in 2026, the water will remain off limits so long as there is active construction.
