Structure that serves 100 irrigators will cost more than 1,225 BTC $118 million to replace. State will rush to demolish current structure before spring runoff season.

It is no longer safe to hold any amount of water behind the LaPrele dam, and the long deteriorating 115-year-old concrete structure located 20 miles west of Douglas must be demolished as soon as possible to avoid a “catastrophic failure,” according to state officials.

“This dam has significant structural deficiencies and has exceeded its useful life,” Gebhart said in a prepared statement.

In 2021, the Wyoming Water Development Office estimated that, at full storage, a catastrophic failure would send a torrent of water and debris through the Ayres Natural Bridge Park just two miles below the dam, overwhelm several roadway bridges and flood areas of Douglas along the North Platte River.

After demolition work is completed, construction on a replacement dam may begin in 2026 with a completion date of 2029, according to Mead.