The Blue Earth County Board of Commissioners have voted to remove the historic Rapidan Dam.
In their vote, the board asked County Staff Members to begin exploring options for the removal of the historic dam that failed on June 24th, following heavy rain.
The Board also requested that staff look into the removal and replacement of the County Road 9 bridge just behind the dam. The bridge is in critical condition as water eroded the ground around it and debris is piled on the support beams. The bridge has been closed since the failure of the dam.
The county is also looking into some restoration of the river bank after the removal of the dam.
The county hopes to have the bridge removal process starting in late fall or early winter using funds from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief.
It’s not yet known when work on the Rapidan Dam will start due to needing an analysis of the dam to be completed, which must then be reviewed by FEMA and that could take over a year.
Timelines and costs for removals and installations are still up in the air, but county officials say they will release that information as it becomes available.
