Expiration date: 1/13/2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, (Corps) and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) are evaluating a permit application and certification request to decommission the LaPrele Dam, which would result in the discharge of fill material into approximately 5.49 acres of waters of the United States, including LaPrele Creek and LaPrele Reservoir. This notice is to inform interested parties of the proposed activity and to solicit comments. Further, the Corps is informing members of the public of alternative procedures for permitting in response to this emergency situation. This joint notice may also be viewed at the Corps web site at: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory-Program/Wyoming/Public-Notices/.
The applicant is proposing to remove a structurally deficient 135foot-tall concrete dam, no later than April 1, 2025, in response to a breach order from the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office (WSEO). LaPrele dam would be deconstructed using mechanical breaching or blasting. Concrete from the removed portion of the dam would be handled in the following manner: 1) partially remaining within the footprint of the dam; 2) 7,030 cubic yards placed in a rubble chute on the downstream side of the dam in LaPrele Creek to prevent excessive erosion; and 3) 8,830 cubic yards placed in a pair of optional disposal areas, one of which is located in the drained reservoir. The discharge of additional fill material within the creek and reservoir bed is proposed for construction of:
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equipment access ramps to the north side of the dam;
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a rock fill check structure to capture sediment and debris from demolition; and
• a southern access road and crossing to facilitate access to the south side of the dam. Rock borrow material for the southern access road would be obtained from below the ordinary high water mark of the reservoir.
The proposed project would result in a total of 5.49 surface acres of fill placed below the ordinary high water mark of waters of the United States, affecting 0.63 acre of LaPrele Creek and 4.86 acres of LaPrele Reservoir.
A total of 4.19 surface acres of waters of the U.S. would be affected by cut (dredge) activities through the excavation of 3,486 cubic yards of rock and earthen material to be redistributed for access purposes.
Based on the available information, the overall project purpose is to breach LaPrele Dam before potential catastrophic failure during spring 2025 runoff. The applicant’s project purpose, as stated in the application, is to comply with WSEO order that the concrete structure of the LaPrele Dam be removed to a final elevation of 5,400 feet, no later than April 1, 2025