HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Commission met with Beaver Creek Dam Manager Tim Herron and representatives from Great West Engineering and Bear Paw Development on Tuesday to discuss proposed plans to improve the spillway and stilling basin for Beaver Creek Dam, located at the north end of Beaver Creek Reservoir, also known as First Lake.
Work that needs to be done in the near future to improve the spillway and stilling basin include repairing cracked concrete curb and wingwalls, repairing transverse joints, and fixing the drain pipe that has settled.
A DNRC grant for around $80,000 is expected to cover the majority of the costs of the project. It is unclear how the rest of the project could be funded, but some of it could be covered through funds obtained through House Bill 632, the bill allocating how some COVID-relief funds are spent.
Before the meeting adjourned, the Commission voted unanimously to move ahead with the process of applying for permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The next steps include receiving a review of the plan from NRCS, which is expected by mid-May, after which the construction plan will be finalized and put out for bids.
The Commission and other stakeholders urged a quick process for this project in order to keep costs down, as the price of materials continues to climb.
The project could potentially begin in August, but there is no firm timeline at this point.
Jonathan Weaver of Great West Engineering says recreators should only expect minimal impacts during construction, such as the inability to access the area in the immediate vicinity of the dam. Weaver says the spillway itself is about 400 feet long.
During construction, plans call for a temporary channel to be cut to bypass the distilling basin.
