Supervisors speak out about dam study
Humboldt's Kurt Loving looks over a drawing of what a lowering of the Reason Dam on the Des Moines River might look like. Loving was one of nearly 200 citizens to attended an open house on possible dam changes and alterations on Oct. 28. Humboldt Independent photo.
By KENT THOMPSON
Supervisors Rick Pedersen, Bruce Reimers and Dave Lee reported attending the Reasoner Dam open house study presentation on Oct. 28.
They were pleased with the turnout, an estimated 180-200 people.
“The diagrams were easy to understand and there was some good information shared,” Pedersen said.
While no consensus has yet been drawn from the open house, Pedersen said a lot of the people he heard from favored alternative 1, which would rehabilitate the dam to mitigate safety hazards, restore fish passage and maintain the pool above the dam. Pedersen said the big question is, "who is going to pay for it," as the price tag for the first option was an expected $15 million. The cost for the other alternatives were $2.5-$3 million. Local citizen Bret Harklau was at the meeting to offer his thoughts. Read more about the matter in this week's Humboldt Independent and a more detailed report next week.
