BARNSDALL, Okla — The City of Barnsdall is working to permanently fix the Waxhoma Dam, after construction for temporary fixes has been done for years.
2 News has been covering these developments closely:
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'Knew this was going to happen': Barnsdall Mayor speaks on Waxhoma Dam repair
The mayor of Barnsdall, Johnny Kelley, said the dam’s current state is stable enough to handle severe weather that’s predicted over the weekend.
He said the city has been trying to permanently fix the dam for about four years.
“Every time we feel like we're getting where we need to be, it feels like the goalpost gets moved," he said. "Hopefully we're gonna get to the end of it this time and be able to move forward and fix it. So, that's that's my hope.”
One of the latest additions to the dam is a pipe, in hopes that it will regulate water levels.
"I’ve got a big pump sitting out there right now that we’ve got ready to go at which time it begins to rain," said Kelley. "We’re gonna immediately begin to run that pump as well as a siphon.”
Kelley said he’s just waiting for the dam to meet all of the Corps of Engineers standards to receive grant funds.
He said the funds aren’t officially handed off to the city until each requirement is met and approved by the Corps of Engineers and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
“Hopefully, week after next, or next week- when everybody can get together, we’ll have a meeting," said Kelley "Try to figure out if they can work with the engineer to correct these concerns that they have so we can move forward with the bidding process and try to get it replaced.”
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