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Loudy-Simpson pond breaches small dam Wednesday

Water flowed over the top of the failed dam at Loudy-Simpson pond Wednesday. The structure has been struggling for years, said Moffat County Facilities Director Lennie Gillam.
Courtesy/Tyler Michael Foy Rogers via Facebook

The pond at Loudy-Simpson blew out the top of a small dam Wednesday that allows county officials to maintain water levels for irrigation purposes.

The problem has been an ongoing one, said Moffat County Facilities Director Lennie Gillam.

“We had the same problem towards the end of the season last year,” Gillam said.

The dam had some repairs done to it when the county drudged the pond several years ago, but weekly changes in water flows due to upstream irrigation use have worn down the structure.

“What happens on the weekend is as soon as (upstream irrigators) start closing those (gates), we get a rush of water,” Gillam said. “Just that constant influx and rush of water slowly wore it out a little bit.”

Gillam said Wednesday’s breach was nothing too dramatic and the pond is deep enough that irrigation use for Loudy-Simpson Park won’t be impacted.

“We’re trying to figure out how we can fix it permanently,” Gillam said. “We just haven’t been able to actually have the time or manpower to dig in and get a good solid permanent fix.”

Gillam and maintenance crews will drop the water levels in a couple weeks, he said, at which time they’ll work on repairing or rebuilding the structure.

Until then, the excess water will simply flow back into the Yampa River.


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