Crews clean up, repair Burlington Street dam

University of Iowa power plant employees took advantage of the Iowa River's low water levels due to construction at the Coralville dam spilling basin to make minor repairs to the Burlington Street dam in Iowa City on Thursday.

The maintenance involved removing wooden boards that cross the top of the dam, checking the pipes below them and replacing missing boards.

University of Iowa Assistant Director of Utilities and Energy Management Ben Fish says the boards help the water level to rise on the north side of the Burlington Street Bridge.

Having a deeper pool of water on the north side allows for more water to be taken into the University of Iowa's water plant on the east side of the Iowa River, Fish said.

“It [the maintenance] took about half a day to finish, and we had help from the Iowa City Fire Department to make sure everything was done safely,” he said.

According to Fish, the board replacement process has not been done in at least seven years because the Iowa River's water levels have not been low enough for such work to be done.

“This type of maintenance has to coincide with the Army Corps of Engineers construction work up in Coralville on the dam,” Fish said. “It just doesn't happen very often.”