County hears good news about Wauneta dam

After two years of questions with few answers, the Chase County Commissioners now know the status of the Wauneta north dam.
Tim Gokie, Chief Engineer of Nebraska’s Dam Safety Section, shared concerns about the dam with the commissioners early in 2019.
During an inspection, Gokie had noticed cracks in the dam that led him to question its structural stability.
Since then, the commissioners have worked with Jeff Tidyman, Joshua Shiach and Engineering International to find the best way to determine if the cracks went through the dam or were only surface-level erosion.
Engineering International brought in dam expert Jim Hicks who said he believed the cracks were erosion.
Last week, Gokie and Hicks were on hand as an excavator was used to clear two spots on the south side of the dam, then dig two trenches along the top of the dam.
Both spots on the side of the dam showed signs of erosion but no cracks.
The trenches were filled with 8,000 gallons of dyed water. If the dam had cracks, the water would quickly drain from the trenches.
Instead, the water sat for over 24 hours and eventually had to be pumped out. Water in the east trench did find rodent runs or an old root system and leaked out, Shiach said, but showed no sign of a crack in the dam.
Shiach said, as of Monday, the trenches were filled in and the road completely opened to traffic.
Shiach gave the commissioners a recap at Tuesday morning’s board meeting.
While Gokie is satisfied there are no cracks in the dam, he does have concerns about the 320-foot-long culvert running under it.
Gokie worries that a large rain would put too much pressure on the culvert, leading the seams to split under the dam.
The only solution Shiach knew of was a liner in the four-foot-diameter culvert that hardens under UV light, but he would like to wait until he’s seen Gokie’s official report to see what is required as opposed to what is recommended.