City calls meeting for McKinley Dam knockdown

MISSOULIAN STAFF

The decommissioning of McKinley Lake dam in the Rattlesnake Wilderness will get a review by the City of Missoula’s Public Works & Mobility Department and Missoula Parks & Recreation, with public and private partners, at an informational public presentation on a project Wednesday, March 15, 2023, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Missoula City Council Chambers at 140 West Pine Street, Missoula.

The dam was part of the City’s acquisition of Mountain Water Company in 2017, and City staff has been maintaining the dam since then. Ongoing erosion issues at the dam’s spillway has prompted the city to move forward with the decommissioning project at this time. The McKinley Lake dam decommissioning is a pilot project that will help the City as it considers the future of the nine remaining wilderness lake dams that fall under City ownership.

Our favorite photos of the week from February 27 to March 5.

These lakes have not been used as a water source for the city since 1983, and the dams are expensive for Missoula Water to maintain and repair. The City completed a 2018 feasibility study, which provided options for the future of the dams, including decommissioning some or

View Source