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Elkhead Reservoir's opening day has been pushed back to May 5 to allow time to prepare the site, Craig Parks and Recreation Director Dave Pike said.

"The rain has caused a few minor delays in pouring some concrete," he said. "If it's nice tomorrow, we're out there working."

Two parking lot "islands" used to direct traffic flow are ready to go, and two still are under construction, Pike said.

Plans call for sidewalks to be completed around restrooms and handicapped parking spots by opening day, along with sidewalks to allow wheel chair access to boat ramps.

APH Construction is working on the Elkhead facilities, and a good deal of the project is ready for public use.

"Restrooms are in and boat ramps are in," Pike said. "The picnic tables and parking blocks are here. The fence for around the parking lot is here, but not in place."

Sand has been spread on the two beaches located on the western side of the lake, and the swim beach will be ready when the official opening takes place.

Camping sites with fire rings are planned for later in the summer.

Due to continuing construction the reservoir will be open for day use with gates closing at 10 p.m., one boat ramp will be available and there will be limited parking. As the summer progresses, more amenities are expected to become available.

Water trickled over the dam's spillway for the first time Friday as the reservoir reached its new capacity level, 20 feet above the old height. The original pool of water has nearly doubled in size, and now contains 25,450 acre-feet of water.

As with any new dam, a number of readings are taken daily to ensure everything is working correctly.

Craig Public Works Director Bill Earley said dam monitoring continues for the city's water department workers.

"We'll check the dam twice daily for the next week, and then once daily for a week," he said. "Mark Sollenberger has been checking it each morning, and I go out every evening myself."

Data gathered from the checks are sent to the URS engineering firm that designed the dam, where it is broken down and eventually forwarded to the state engineer.

After the next two weeks of checks are completed, readings on the dam will be taken once a week for 90 days, followed by checks every month.

Small meters buried in the dam measure water content, and warn of anything out of the ordinary.

A data system at the dam sends information to the Craig water plant, where workers can release water as needed downstream by those with water rights.