Board Meets January 8th, 2015 6:00pm
The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting will be held on Thursday January 8th at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall. We need you, the homeowners, to attend once again to make it clear to the DLWID Board that the District needs to involve the community in their decision making process.
As predicted there is one very critical item on the Board’s agenda this month that we would like to call to your attention. The last item in unfinished business is the replacement of the water impoundment devices (the dam). The full documentation for the meeting can be found at the following links.
Director Randy Weldon’s report to the board states that “At our November 2014 meeting, my proposal to the board was to explore the idea of removing the concrete foundation of the current dam and using a different type of impoundment device in the summer. I suggested that we use sandbags or water-filled flood control tubes during the short recreational impoundment period instead of our current structure.”
There is additional information in last month’s article on the dam removal. If you cannot attend the meeting please use the additional information provided to let the board know of your concerns.
The existing concrete structure in the water was built above the normal lake level. It is in fact almost 2 feet higher and therefore raises the entire lake level which has negative impacts. The removal of this manmade barrier will allow the lake to flush more efficiently which is essential for water turnover. Also the concrete dam is blocking the sand from winter storm surges from flowing back to the ocean. So much sand has been deposited and locked in behind the dam it is over 100 yards long 100 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet deep. The built up sand bar also acts as an extension of the dam limiting the lakes ability to flow as it should. The benefits of removal would be a healthier lake and also decrease property damage from erosion and flooding during the winter storm surges. The summer months the DlWID will install the temporary impoundment structure to maintain a lake level corresponding to the Rights directed by the State.