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December 23, 2011

TOP STORIES OF 2011: Number 8 - Land acquisition begins for Duck River dam

By Trent Moore The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Editor’s note: This is the next in a series of the top 10 local stories of 2011.



After more than a decade stalled in environmental lawsuits and challenges, the City of Cullman’s Duck River Dam water source project ramped up to full speed in 2011 — with land acquisition and construction planning now nearing completion.

The Cullman Utilities Board has purchased close to half of the property needed to construct a dam in the Duck River watershed, from a total amount of 1,121 acres.

The city is building a 640-acre lake with a 32-million-gallon-per-day capacity in northeast Cullman County, to complement the area’s sole water source at Lake Catoma. The project is estimated to cost $68 million. There are approximately 110 parcels required for the project.

Cullman Mayor Max Townson said the lake will mark a new era for the community, and leave a lasting legacy for the next generation.

“Duck River will take care of us for the next 50-75 years, and support growth and expansion in industry,” he said in a previous interview. “There have been a lot of people put in a lot of work on this, and I’m proud to be here in the right place, at the right time.”

Steve Newton, with project engineer of record CH2M Hill, said planning work continues for phase I of the design, which encompasses dam preparation.

Late this year the decision was made to use a roller compacted concrete (RCC) method, which should cut the construction timeline down to less than a year. The board had originally planned to build an earth-fill dam, when the permit was originally approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the mid-1990s.

“We looked at a lot of things, critical issues and tangible issues,” Newton said in a previous interview. “This is compatible with the permit and we think it will be very positive. This should help protect water quality downstream during construction and allow us to drastically decrease our footprint during construction.”

The roller-compacted design will allow the dam intake to be built in the center, whereas the old design had the intake about 100 feet away in the lake.

“From a maintenance standpoint that will be a lot easier, so you can drive right up to it,” Newton said.

With construction slated to begin in the first part of 2012, the Cullman Utilities board is also compiling a list of interested contractors and sub-contractors that would like to be involved with the project, which should be included in the bid package.

The utilities board hosted a meeting with affected property owners in early 2011, and though there was some sadness, most residents seemed to understand the need.

With nearly 12 acres sitting very close to where the dam will be constructed, Berlin resident Luke Lindsey said he isn’t excited to lose his property — but he believes the community needs another water source more than anything.

“When it gets down low enough that you can see stumps in Lake Catoma, you need some more damn water,” he said at the time. “You can’t make anything happen without water.”



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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