Sturgis completes dam repairs

Contractors for the city of Sturgis last week completed repairs to the earthen embankment at the Sturgis hydroelectric dam.
With repairs completed, the city has started to raise water levels in the reservoir. Water levels were raised by six inches in all between Saturday and Sunday.
Starting today, the reservoir will be raised approximately six inches per day until it is at its normal elevation. As part of the repair process, the city drew the reservoir down a total of three feet. Residents along the impacted area of the St. Joseph River should expect to see water levels return to normal by the end of the week.
The earthen embankment will continue to be monitored twice a day to gauge the stability of the repairs.
Project officials said the drawdown was a necessary precautionary measure to prevent damage to the embankment. If conditions change at the site, the city of Sturgis will release additional information through various media outlets.