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FLOOD CONTROL Jacksonville accepts bid for work on reservoir dam spillway Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 5:04 PM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 5:04 PM » Social News JACKSONVILLE — Enlargement of the spillway at Jacksonville’s reservoir on Jackson Creek will probably start in July after the City Council voted Tuesday to accept the low bid of $73,825 from Kogap Enterprises for the project. Without the spillway work, a catastrophic flood in Jackson Creek might cause the dam to collapse, imperiling life and property downstream, officials said. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers issued a permit authorizing the work in January. “We are tickled to death. We can’t believe how cheap it is,” said City Administrator Jeff Alvis. The city looked at a number of options, some costing nearly $800,000, before the spillway proposal was developed and approved. Work in the stream must be done between June 15 and Sept. 15 to prevent impact to fisheries. The work can’t proceed until the reservoir water level drops. “We are probably looking at the latter part of July,” said Alvis. “We had a pretty wet season. Last year, we could have worked in there at this time.” KOGAP will construct a couple of roads into the site and clean up the top of the dam so that operations can be conducted from there. Work to enlarge the spillway is estimated to take about two weeks, Alvis said. The next lowest bid was $110,620 from Pilot Rock Excavation. Ledford Construction Company bid $157,320, and LaDuke Construction bid $166,048. City Engineer Scott Pingle reviewed the bids to ensure they met proposal requirements and recommended the award go to Kogap. Pingle had estimated the work would cost $80,000. In 2012, the city set aside $200,000 from the sale of land in the watershed above the reservoir to fund the work. Kogap will compact material that is removed to enlarge the spillway in an area below the dam. The city will plant trees and vegetation this fall on the material to prevent erosion. While much of the dam will remain in place, the project is considered a breeching. The old concrete spillway will be demolished and replaced with a 10-foot-wide channel that exceeds FEMA’s 500-year flood flow estimates. The new spillway will be about 12 feet below the current dam face slope. Up to 873 cubic yards of riprap can be used for the spillway. Patience in exploring alternatives over a two-year period resulted in a plan the city could afford, said Alvis. “You have to wait on all these things,” said Alvis. “Don’t take the first option.” Keith Mills, dam safety engineer with the state Water Resources Department, deserves credit for helping devise the plan, said Alvis. Mills and Alvis met several times and visited the site to explore options. “We are very happy that they are moving forward. It is making the dam safe,” said Mills. As a high-hazard dam, it is subject to annual inspection until the correction is completed, he said. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Oregon’s Division of State Lands were all consulted on the project. Those agencies will be notified that work will proceed. In 1999, a state study classified the dam as a high hazard. Constructed in 1910 to provide water for the town, use was discontinued in the 1950s when the city connected to the Medford Water Commission system. Sediment has filled much of the reservoir. The city no longer has water rights in Jackson Creek. Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 5:04 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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