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Commissioners: 11-acre Renn's Lake would be drained

Julie Smith/News Tribune This collapsing area is the main source of concern at the Renn's Lake dam as heavy rains began refilling the lake just weeks after the water level had to be lowered to protect the dam. Water pours from the lake into this creek behind Braun's Auto Body, upper left.

By Jeff Haldiman jhaldiman@newstribune.com
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 4:56 AM CST
After another scare at the Renn's Lake Dam, the Cole County Commission and the lake's owners are looking at the possibility of deeding the lake to the county to allow for a breach of the dam to be done without liability to the county.

On Monday, Public Works Director Larry Benz told commissioners the 4 inches of rain that fell Sunday through Monday morning caused the lake to rapidly fill up and eventually run out of the spillway.

Pumps and siphons were brought in and the lake level started falling Sunday night. With additional rain expected through Wednesday, the siphons will be kept in place.

However, Benz said they can't keep asking area farmers, businesses and volunteer fire departments to continue to come and help so the best thing to do would be to somehow breach the dam.

To do this, Benz said, they would dig a portion of the dam away with heavy equipment when the water level is lower to allow the lake to drain freely.

Jerry Renn, whose family owns the lake, said they were willing to give the county permission to come in and do this.

Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger said the only way the county could do this would be to have the Renns turn ownership over to the county.

Western District Commissioner Chris Wrigley said they would need to get a formal contract with Renn. But, he also said, once the lake was drained, the lake bed could be an opportunity for another park area, although cost would be a factor in that decision.

Renn said the lake surface covers 11 acres.

Commissioners said it could be an option to allow homeowners around the lake to buy it back from the county after they've made the breach and other changes so that it is in a safe condition.



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Thanks.

summitgirl wrote on Nov 24, 2009 9:53 AM:

" There used to be some really nice bass in that lake. I would love to be there when it's drained. "

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boscoe wrote on Nov 18, 2009 4:20 PM:

" The county could collect a DAM TAX to pay for this... "

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@da'lake wrote on Nov 18, 2009 9:06 AM:

" If the majority of the dam is built correctly and basically sound, they should just be able to refill/repair the dam, install some larger drain tubes, and a new/better emergency spillway and be just fine. "

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@da'lake wrote on Nov 18, 2009 9:03 AM:

" gofish - I agree 100%. As long as this is privately-owned lake the costs should be shared between the homeowners.

Typically, a front fill is not a good idea. For a struturally solid dam, you should have a clay core that goes below ground level. Simply front-filling the area at the face of the dam is nothing but a band-aid and probably a recipe for bigger problems down the road.

Just from what I've seen/read, the main problem with the lake breaching the dam is lack of a well-built emergency spillway that would allow large volumes of water to drain without erroding the dam. "

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gofish wrote on Nov 18, 2009 8:52 AM:

" At the LANDOWNER's expense @da'lake, not mine. And not using county equipment to save the fire chief's business. BTW, is it not possible to build a new wall to the dam in front of the weak spot and fill it backwards to the existing healthy part of the structure. Then nothing has to be breached and life goes on. Again this is a private problem, not a county problem. "

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@da'lake wrote on Nov 18, 2009 7:48 AM:

" This is not a difficult fix. You breach the dam and drain the lake to a level where you can repair/replace the dam. Depending on original construction, you either tear it out and rebuild it with an appropriate clay core or you repair necessary sections. You add a drainage system to keep the lake at the safe/desired level. You install an emergency spillway that will allow heavy runoff into the lake to be emptied without causing erosion to the dam itself. This is not a difficult concept, it is pond/lake building and is done day-in and day-out throughout the country. "

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geoff-f wrote on Nov 17, 2009 8:29 PM:

" This situation needs to be solved now. Who cares by who?

Eleven acres of lake can do severe damage far downstream. If I lived downstream I wouldn't want to wait while the county forces the landowner to fix the dam. How long would that take? Especially if it went to court.

If the landowner can't breach it, let the county do it. It gets land for its trouble. "

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rojo wrote on Nov 17, 2009 7:44 PM:

" The original builder of the dam, Jerry Renn Sr. was a hell of a dozer operator - and blasting expert, too. Unfortunately, he's been deceased many years. Old Jerry would know precisely what the problem is and how to fix it.

This situation is untenable. Everyone knows the potential for a serious situation exists. Surely there is some type of legal action the county prosecutor could bring forth to get this situation resolved without loss of life and/or property.

When the lake is drained, who gets the fish? "

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gofish wrote on Nov 17, 2009 4:20 PM:

" Jthomas wrote "I heard a firefighter friend of mine say that the firefighters get the training and Renn pays for the gas...or something like that."

Training on how to "inhale" water using equipment paid for by the taxpayer? Stinky stinky.

This inappropriate use of county resources sets a dangerous precedent. Plus think about it. If a firefighter or county employee were to get hurt pumping water from a private lake won't the county taxpayer foot the bill for workman's comp?

If the dam broke while the fire department was managing the flow can't the county face a potential lawsuit for using the fire department to do something for which they were not trained, i.e. structural engineering of a dam? "

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Jthomas wrote on Nov 17, 2009 3:57 PM:

" I heard a firefighter friend of mine say that the firefighters get the training and Renn pays for the gas...or something like that. Whatever the situation, it seems a little too cozy for county resources to be involved in without a formal contract agreement. It's also my (vague)understanding that private dams (over 30 feet?) come under DNR authority and are subject to state inspections. I think there are several private dams in Cole County that get (or are subject to) inspections. "

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boscoe wrote on Nov 17, 2009 3:30 PM:

" Must be the Democratic philosophy that the government is the answer to every problem. "

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sandhouse wrote on Nov 17, 2009 3:04 PM:

" Let's drain it and put the new convention center there in the muck....

Then fill it again. "

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jack deeken wrote on Nov 17, 2009 2:52 PM:

" This is a PRIVATE dam on PRIVATE property! The government has no business using tax money to fix a problem that is the result of property owner negligence .I am amazed that the county would even think about it ,much less have public discussions on the matter.That dam has lacked maintenance for years . Just look at the number of trees growing on it.Why is it so common to think the government will pay for mistakes that could have easily been avoided? Jack Deeken "

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boscoe wrote on Nov 17, 2009 1:52 PM:

" Hwy 54 is a federal highway, not a county road. "

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gofish wrote on Nov 17, 2009 1:29 PM:

" This is NOT something the county should get involved in unless they want to police the dam for code enforcement purposes.

It sets a precedent for every land owner that has a problem that threatens other private property to expect a bailout by the county, meaning my money and yours.

Chris Wrigley and his new "park", built on a muddy mosquito infested former lake turned sinkhole. I have a bridge I'd like to unload on him.

It's a private problem that should be handled by private persons. That's what the courts are for if someone want's to try and force the landowner to fix their property. "

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gofish wrote on Nov 17, 2009 1:26 PM:

" Rockyv wrote " It's the counties business because not only would it flood other business, it would flood hwy 54. My vote is breach the dam and keep it breached! "

No matter what the lake is on private property. Ameren UE had to pay for their private dam breech, what makes Renn any different? It is the landowner's responsibility to maintain their own property, not the county. If the dam breeches the land owner and their insurance company should foot the bill. "

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tommyj wrote on Nov 17, 2009 12:47 PM:

" If you build below an existing damn............................. "

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Rockyv wrote on Nov 17, 2009 11:38 AM:

" It's the counties business because not only would it flood other business, it would flood hwy 54. My vote is breach the dam and keep it breached! "

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boscoe wrote on Nov 17, 2009 11:03 AM:

" Why is any of this the county's business?

Seems they see an opportunity to grab some land for free.

This is shameful. "

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gofish wrote on Nov 17, 2009 10:41 AM:

" Photo caption: "Water pours from the lake into this creek behind Braun's Auto Body"

The deal is the county fire department chief's business that is downstream from the dam.

Renn needs to fix his dam without the benefit of county resources. This is a civil problem, not a county problem. My tax dollars don't need to be used to pay for a private citizen's neglect of their own property.

Is the fire department billing the land owner for equipment rental for pumping water from the non-fire. It's a questionable use of county equipment to save the fire chief's business from flooding.

The land owner and thier private insurance needs to be responsible, not the county taxpayers. "

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LD wrote on Nov 17, 2009 8:59 AM:

" because then cole county wouldnt be able to take the area from the rightful owner....

there are other options, what exactly is the problem? i mean, is the dam not structually sound, is the spillway not big enough to run off excess water, is the dam permeable at certain points, whats the deal? maybe call an engineer, geotechnical. he could tell ya what the deal is, no problem.... "

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AMM22 wrote on Nov 17, 2009 6:55 AM:

" That kinda stinks If you bought your home because of the nice lake, since they are going to take it out. Why cant they tear out the old dam and rebuild a new dam and allow the lake to refill? "

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