Click the link to read the article on the Wyoming Public Radio website (Jordan Uplinger). Here’s an excerpt:
January 2, 2025
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality are reviewing aspects of the controlled demolition of the LaPrele Dam near Douglas. On Nov. 1, the state engineer ordered the destruction of the failing 115-year-old dam by April 1. The announcement was made following inspections that found new cracks on the front face of the structure, suggesting near-irreparable damage to the dam’s foundation. State officials, land owners and locals have been in discussion on how best to handle a situation that the state engineer referred to as an “emergency.”
Despite a search for alternatives, the LaPrele Irrigation District is proposing to mechanically breach or blast the 135-foot-tall concrete dam. Some concrete would partially remain within the dam’s footprint, some would be placed in a rubble chute in LaPrele Creek to prevent excessive erosion and some would go in optional disposal areas. The district is also proposing to use fill material within the creek and reservoir bed to build equipment access ramps to the north side of the dam, a structure to capture sediment and debris from demolition and for a southern access road. The blast is scheduled to happen before April in an effort to avoid spring runoff, but the state has considered the possibility of taking action sooner should the dam deteriorate faster than expected. Emergency permitting procedures have been approved, according to the Corps, in the event that expedited action is required.