The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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March 9, 2010

Our View: Tough choices for Rapidan Dam

The Free Press

MANKATO — The Blue Earth County Board faces the continual conundrum of the Rapidan Dam with no good choices in the offing.

The board recently decided to return some $138,000 in state and federal funding that was intended to be used to study the issue of taking the Rapidan Dam down. That allowed the county to get $20,000 of its money back.

State and federal authorities have restricted their funding to studies that would offer information on taking down the damn, an option they favor for legal and environmental reasons.

The county decided to play wait and see with the dam. It has been repaired in the last couple of years to plug a hole near the bottom. There is some risk of the dam sustaining further damage.

Key to the issue is whether county residents want to save the dam. Many may see it as a historic site and a curiosity for tourists to the area. Others suggest taking down the dam might enhance the natural flow of the Blue Earth River and create a recreational white-water type area.

For now, waiting and watching might be the prudent course, but the county also should continue to seek state and federal funding for a variety of options. Most residents don’t seem to have a strong feeling one way or the other for preserving the dam, and should federal stimulus money come along for taking it down, it may be smart to jump at such chances.

The dam appears to be breaking even for what the county spends compared to what it gets out in terms of payments from the electrical utility that operates it. So right now, there’s no real damage to taxpayers.

But there certainly seems to be a push at state and federal levels not only for funding environmental projects but also alternative energy projects. Taking down the dam could offer the opportunity for funds designated for environmental purposes, and leaving it up might garner renewable energy funding.

Minnesota’s new Legacy sales tax funding might also be available for projects like taking down the dam. It certainly doesn’t hurt to pursue those options.

The Rapidan Dam can be an asset to the county, whether it remains or is taken down. Our options remain open. The only risk is safety should the dam break due to heavy flooding. We should also be prepared for that worst-case scenario.

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