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Cottonville Dam repair: lowest construction bid under grant estimate; DNR approval, drawdown and construction timeline set
Summary
Adams County Land & Water staff reported the Cottonville Dam repair now estimates roughly $718,000; the lowest construction bid was $656,000 (Lunda) and the Department of Natural Resources sent approval for that bid on May 1. Operator removal and drawdown are planned before a September start to construction.
The Adams County Land & Water Committee discussed progress on the Cottonville Dam repair and related water-quality grant work.
Colton, a Land & Water staff member, described the project's funding and bids. He said the county applied for a municipal dam grant through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in early 2024; the DNR program pays 50% of the first $1 million and 25% of the second $1 million, with a $1,000,000 cap from state funding. "This grant pays 50% of the first million that we spend on dam repairs, 25% of the second million, with a cap at $1,000,000 coming from the state funding itself," Colton said.
Colton said original 2024 estimates put total project costs at about $1,025,000 (roughly $720,000 for construction and about $300,000 for consultant services). He told the committee the current estimate is about $718,000, roughly $300,000 below the earlier estimate. The county received three bids; the lowest construction bid came in at $656,000. "The lowest, coming in at 656,000," Colton said. He said the DNR sent an approval letter for the lowest bidder, Lunda, on May 1 and that an official award notice is expected by the end of the month.
Colton also outlined the schedule: the dam operator is working to remove turbines and hydro equipment by June; drawdown is expected after Labor Day, around Sept. 14, with construction running from September through February and water levels restored in February.
A supervisor asked about an alternate shotcrete overlay listed as an alternate in the bid documents. Colton said consultant Adam Schneider from Ayers recommended against the alternate for structural-integrity reasons and said the plan is to use a lighter cellular concrete product to balance berm weight. "He would suggest that we do not go with the alternate just due to the structural integrity of the dam," Colton said.
Separately, Colton raised a separate water-quality funding opportunity: he said a 2022 resolution the county approved but never used matches a proposed resolution to streamline applications for the DNR Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant. The program supports five practices (fish sticks, native plantings, diversions, rock infiltration and rain gardens), reimburses projects up to $1,000 each, allows up to 10% of each project for administrative/technical costs, and requires no county match. Colton said landowners are interested and projects will be updated monthly in the project-status report.
Colton also said the Friendship Lake surface water grant has started; baseline data were collected and sent to the state hygiene lab and shoreline protection work is being pursued through DATCP cost-share funding.
The committee did not take a formal, recorded vote on the dam contracting in the portions of the transcript provided; Colton said the DNR approval letter had been received and an award notice was forthcoming.
