The Lake Mitchell restoration project is now on hold. In a news release, Mayor Jordan Hanson says the South Dakota Department of Ag and Natural Resources informed the city it will be required to complete a 50% Probable Maximum Flow and Breach Analysis prior to the reconstruction of the dam.
“It’s part of the permit process,” said Hanson. “We’re not sure why it came up so late in the process, so it’s all new information to us and pretty much everyone involved in the project so far.”
Hanson says the analysis could take up to a year from what he’s been told.
DANR recommended the analysis be completed before breaching the dam to ensure there will not be any safety issues preventing the reconstruction of the dam once it’s been breached.
Hanson anticipates an update from Barr Engineering at the September 15th Mitchell City Council meeting and additional updates as the information is shared with the city.