NEW LONDON -- There's been a dam at New London since 1861 when an immigrant built a dam and sawmill near some falls on the Crow River. It washed out after settlers fled the area during the Dakota Uprising. After they returned in 1865, they rebuilt the dam and added a flour mill.
There's no longer a flour mill in New London, but the current version of the dam there is still important to the west central Minnesota community of about 1,070 people. It holds back what's still known locally as the Mill Pond, the town's main landmark. Without the dam, there would be no Mill Pond.
While the New London Dam has undergone major modifications or repairs at least four times since 1865, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says more major work is needed to make it safe.
"The dam is substandard to modern safety standards and is considered to have exceeded its reasonable life capacity. Reconstruction or removal is inevitable," a 2002 DNR memo concluded.
DNR officials warned the New London City Council in 2005 that a collapse of the dam would send a 12-foot wave through the town, and that 50 to 60 homes could be affected, according to a local press account at the time.
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The 2006 Legislature approved $2 million so that the DNR could hire a consulting engineer to prepare a detailed study of options for dealing with the problem. That engineer has yet to be hired. State Dam Safety Engineer Jason Boyle said the DNR is in the process of putting the job out for bids.
New London Mayor John Mack said he hopes the dam stays high on the DNR's list, but he doesn't see it as a big safety problem.
"Obviously if the dam collapses all at once, there would be a fair amount of havoc, but I think that's unlikely," Mack said.
