Reconstruction is well underway now at Park Lake, the site of a dam breach in mid-2020 which drained the lake and flooded portions of the town. Because they recognise the public is curious but are discouraged from visiting the site due to hazardous conditions, the Town of Neepawa partnered with NACTV to share information about the project and give a guided tour of the site.

Manager of Operations Denis Saquet starts with some background on the site, including the fact that a geotechnical survey of the site while it was empty of water discovered that none of the existing embankment was proper material, so not only did the town have to replace the breached portion but the entire embankment and dam.

The site was the location of an old hydroelectric dam. As well, it was used for trash from the founding of the community right up until about 1930, so there was a tremendous amount of unsuitable material that had to be hauled off site. In addition to the instability of the ground and the heavy equipment in use, that trash and debris is a big reason why the site is hazardous for the public to visit.

Fortunately, suitable clay was found on-site to form a barrier to prevent seepage, so a borrow pit was dug in the middle of the lake bed and the clay is compacted around the embankment. However riprap, which is varying sizes of stone that is used to prevent erosion, had to be hauled in over the course of the last year.

Before any reconstructive work could even begin, the town had to receive permits to work in the waterway. Several tests and studies were done by Fisheries and Oceans to ensure there was no habitat loss, that there are no vulnerable species, and that there was still upstream and downstream access. This resulted in a temporary bridge being built for access to the site rather than a culvert or other type of access. The bridge will be removed when the project is complete.

The new dam will be three times the length of the old concrete dam and will have contingencies in place for standard flow and high flow in the event we see another flash flood. Concrete is currently being poured one section at a time, on-site to be placed with the steel structure to form the new dam.

The project is expected to be completed this fall, with the area returned to its pre-flood state by next year.