Dam failure leaves questions
Long-term plan sought as city works to lower Ida Lake’s water level
The city is about three weeks into a partial deconstruction of the Mount Ida Dam, but it’s undetermined how much it will cost or how long it will take.
A small portion of the upper middle part of the dam is being removed, which will allow the water level of Mount Ida Lake to safely lower. There is no way to know how much sediment has built up behind the dam, so a cost or timeline can’t be put on the project, spokesman John Salka said.
The dam was damaged by the high, rushing waters from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. An engineering review found deterioration in the timber structure and determined it was structurally unsound. Last fall, engineers said the dam may only last a year.
This past weekend the dam failed, according to an email Mayor Patrick Madden sent to council members.
“It is worthy of note that our engineer’s prediction last year that the dam was likely to fail within a year was accurate almost to the day,” Madden wrote.
Some of the wood that was on the damaged part broke and allowed water to come through. However, the city had already done work to lower the water levels, so no damage was done to those living downstream, Salka said.
This incident did not affect the deconstruction schedule, Madden wrote.
There was some controversy among residents when decommissioning the dam was first discussed.
Many community members have memories of ice skating and kayaking on it. But deconstruction was ultimately deemed necessary for the safety of the people who live downstream of it.
Ideas about what to do next were discussed at a public meeting last week at the Italian Community Center in Troy. Three options were presented: Rebuild the dam at its current level, which would cost an estimated $2.5 million. The second idea was to rebuild it several feet lower, which would cost about $1.7 million.
The final option was to completely decommission and drain it at an unknown cost.
Councilman David Bissember, who represents District 5, downstream of the dam, said he thinks the community needs to come to a consensus.
“We need to as a community decide what we’re going to do because they’re is going to be a cost, and we need to consider the people downstream,” Bissember said.
Sam Chiappone, a resident who lives downstream on Ida Street, said he’s open to all the suggestions.
He said he’s relieved the city began the partial deconstruction.
“It’s a passionate topic, and I appreciate everyone’s effort to save the dam, but I think it was a good first step to take it down,” Chiappone said. “I welcome any discussions about what to do next.”