Rapidan Dam

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Rapidan Dam
Blue Earth River Rapidan.jpg
Blue Earth River below Rapidan Dam
Country United States
Location Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Purpose Power
Status Partially failed
Construction began 1908; 116 years ago (1908)
Opening date 1910; 114 years ago (1910)
Owner(s) Blue Earth County Government
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Concrete Gravity
Impounds Blue Earth River
Height 87 ft (27 m)
Length 475 ft (145 m)
Spillways 5 steel Tainter gates and 2 timber gates
Reservoir
Creates Rapidan Lake
Catchment area 2,430 sq mi (6,300 km2)
Surface area 318 acres (129 ha)
Power station
Turbines 2[1]
Installed capacity 6 MW[1] (not currently operating)[2]

The Rapidan Dam is a concrete gravity dam located on the Blue Earth River in Rapidan Township, near Rapidan, Minnesota in the United States. The dam was constructed for hydroelectric power generation from 1908 to 1910. The dam and reservoir are owned by Blue Earth County, and the power plant and dam was operated by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy under an agreement with the county.[1] Power was no longer generated at the dam due to damage from flooding in 2019 and 2020.[2] The dam is located just southwest of Mankato.

Blue Earth County operates the Rapidan Dam Park & Campground on the west embankment of the dam for camping, hiking, river access, and recreational activities.[3] The Rapidan Dam Cafe and Store also operates on the west bank of the river, they are known for their homemade pies.[4]

History

File:People viewing construction site of Blue Earth Dam, Rapidan Township, Minnesota.jpg
People viewing construction site of Blue Earth Dam, Rapidan Township, Minnesota

The dam was built in 1910. It generated power for the Northern States Power Company until it was damaged in 1965 by flooding.[5]

In 1970, the dam was acquired by Blue Earth County, which has operated the facility since then.[6] Two years later in 1972 Blue Earth County ruled that the dam should be rebuilt or torn down due to concerns over the impact of a collapse.[7]

In 2002 it was discovered that the foundation of the dam needed emergency repairs which were carried out to stop the dam failing. This included filling concrete in a void between several buttresses and part of the base slab at the toe of the spillway. This cost $1,034,000.[8]

In 2019 the dam was damaged by flooding and stopped producing electricity. In 2021 the county commissioned two studies from BARR Engineering[9] to explore the options for the dam’s state of disrepair. Two options were studied: dam repair or dam removal.[10] From April to June 2022, the county collected community feedback regarding these options.[11] 69% of responses supported repairing the dam and 18% supported removing the dam.[12] As of April 2023 the National Inventory of Dams rated the dam in poor condition and its hazard potential as "significant".[13]

2024 storm damage

File:Rapidan Dam failure-5.jpg
Rapidan Dam on June 25, 2024

Following flooding on the river due to heavy rain, on June 24, 2024, debris on the river gathered behind the dam and caused the river to back up. The dam was declared to be in an "imminent failure condition".[14] Dam operators first alerted authorities at around 10:36 a.m. CDT.[15] A flash flood warning was enacted and residents were urged to evacuate.[16][17] Officials say this is a low-risk dam if there was a catastrophic failure.[18] They indicated that the campground would need to be evacuated, and then the only risk would be to people located on the river itself. The largest damage is predicted to be environmental, as a large amount of sediment has built up in the reservoir, and much of it would eventually wash down river.[19]

The river suffered a side breach due to high water flows and washed away an Xcel Energy substation which provided power to around 600 customers; it also destroyed a shed and a home.[20] On June 25 at around 9:30 p.m., the home of the Rapidan Dam Store owners collapsed into the water.[21][22] With the continuing erosion, officials are monitoring the County Highway 9 bridge that spans the river just upstream from the dam.[23]

See also

References

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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Sources

External links

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