JOPLIN, Mo. —
With no relief from the drought in sight, the Missouri American Water Co. took steps Thursday to increase the amount of water held in its Grand Falls impoundment on Shoal Creek.
The company installed a new wooden gate system atop the concrete dam. The gates increase the depth of the impoundment behind the dam by 2 feet, adding approximately 68 million gallons of water to the reservoir.
For comparison purposes, the water tower at 15th Street and Rex Avenue, near the Wal-Mart Supercenter, holds 1 million gallons.
“This is a precautionary measure in case we need it,’’ said Matt Barnhart, manager of the private utility.
City Utilities of Springfield recently put into place voluntary water conservation measures in response to the drought.
Barnhart on Thursday said, “We’re taking that day by day. In fact, that decision could be made at any time if conditions do not improve.’’
The buildup of water in the impoundment will take place over a period of about 24 hours.
The impoundment serves as Joplin’s primary source of water. The company augments that source with water from a series of deep wells.
The company previously used slats to increase the height of the dam. Those slats were in storage when they were destroyed by the May 22, 2011, tornado. The company purchased cypress boards and constructed the new gate system. The system was tested on Thursday to make certain it retained water but permitted enough water to flow through to maintain an adequate water level downstream from the dam.
“They’re working just fine,’’ Barnhart said of the new slats. “We wanted to try them before we needed them. Now that they’re in, we’re just going to leave them there.’’
Under normal conditions, Shoal Creek flows at a rate of 400 cubic feet per second. It has been fluctuating of late between 58 and 65 cubic feet per second, Barnhart said.
“We install the slats when the creek is flowing at a rate of 50 cubic feet per second,” he said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re headed in that direction.’’
The last time the slats were used was during a mini-drought in 2006 when the flow rate dropped to 51 cubic feet per second. Before that, the lowest flow rate was during the drought of 1980.
In 2006, two teenagers who had been swimming at Grand Falls attempted to increase the amount of water flowing over the falls by tampering with the wooden slats atop the dam.
Damage to the slats caused them to open at once, releasing the water behind them within an hour or so. That caused the water downstream to rise by as much as 3 feet, endangering the lives of people along the creek.
The teenagers were charged with tampering with a utility, a Class C felony. The two could have been charged with child endangerment had children been playing in the creek below the dam, police said.
Waiting for rain
The gate system will remain on the dam until significant rain falls, according to Matt Barnhart, manager of the private utility.
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Related Photos
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Justin Shepherd (left) and Robert Divine on Thursday adjust Missouri American Water Co.’s new gate system atop Grand Falls dam on Shoal Creek in Joplin. The system will add 2 feet to the height of the dam and add 68 million gallons of water capacity to the company’s impoundment. GLOBE | WALLY KENNEDY
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Missouri American increases capacity of impoundment
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