Cypress Creek Low-head Dam – Photos by Charles Rose
FLORENCE – On Tuesday, the city council approved a $1 million expense from a 2011 water and sewer bond fund to replace a dangerous low-head dam on Cypress Creek… blamed for a number of fatal canoeing accidents.
The lowest bid for the project came in at $1.2 million. That bid is currently under review by the Water and Wastewater Department. The findings of this review will be
Cypress Creek Low-head Dam – Photos by Charles Rose
presented to the council on July 2. The Department can approve the overage, or have the issue set for a re-bid.
30 years ago the dam was built in order to maintain the creek’s water level next to an intake valve at the water treatment plant. In those years several people have drowned there, a current can suck boaters and swimmers beneath the water. The water moves in a fast circular motion leaving victims unable to return to the surface.
The city faces a few obstacles before they will be able to begin the construction. Various federal and state agencies have jurisdiction over inland waterways and must review and sign off on any construction proposals that have the possibility to change the flow and water levels.
