Serious discussion about the need for a north central Missouri reservoir goes back at least to the 1990s, and led to the initial stages of the planning work which was originally completed in the early to mid 2000’s. These early planning documents include:
The design of the dam was not funded until 2010. At that time, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) selected URS Corporation to complete the first phases of dam design. This effort fine-tuned the dam location, moving it upstream 150’ to take advantage of more favorable bedrock conditions. It also determined the approximate outlet works configuration.
The results of this first phase design is summarized in the Evaluation and Selection Report (2014)
In 2014, a decision was made to transfer primary responsibility of the dam design from NRCS to the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission (NCMRWC) in recognition that the NCMRWC was in a better position to lead on the dam design. NRCS continues to be responsible for ensuring that the design is completed to NRCS standards. The NCMRWC procured the services of the Olsson Associates and Allstate Consultants LLC team to finalize the dam design and permitting.
The Olsson/Allstate team has adopted the initial design work completed by URS and is in the process of finalizing it with minor modifications. Preliminary plans for dam construction are anticipated to be complete in August, 2017 with final plans to be complete in the winter of 2017-2018 or the spring of 2018.