Work on Crow Dam spillway to restart in March

The second phase of maintenance work on the Crow Dam spillway is slated to begin in March.

Work on the upper portion of the spillway at Lower Crow Reservoir will include a concrete inlet structure, which is used to control the reservoir level, according to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Phase two is expected to take about 15 to 18 months to complete, depending on weather.

During construction, Crow Dam Road will be temporarily closed in the vicinity of Crow Dam.

Crow Dam impounds approximately 10,350 acre-feet of water, primarily used for irrigation. The dam was completed in 1933 and included a spillway beneath Crow Dam Road and pipe to release water from the Lower Crow Reservoir to Crow Creek.

The spillway and outlet works have worn out and will be replaced in four phases.

The first two phases of the project are replacing the spillway. The first phase of replacing the lower portion of the spillway began in May of 2018 and completed in July of 2019.

The third phase of the project will include tunneling for a new pipe through the dam that will allow water to be released from the reservoir to the lower Crow Creek for irrigation releases as well as in stream flow releases.

The final phase of work will be placing compacted earth fill on the downstream toe of the dam protect the dam during seismic events.

Funding for the project is provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

For more information contact Dan Lozar, Division of Engineering and Water Resources Manager or Gregory Wilson, SOD Program Manager Safety of Dams for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, at (406) 675-2700.