1910 Rapidan Dam on Blue Earth River near Mankato, MN

(Satellite, 314 photos)

On Jun 24, 2024, the dam was breached.

2 of 6 photos posted [rats, I forgot to save the link] by Conner Blaukat with the comment: "Blue Earth Country Road 9 crossing the Blue Earth River, only a few hundred feet down stream lays the Rapidan Dam. Taken near Rapidan, Minnesota."

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b

Brian Potter, Aug 2022

John Watts, May 2023, 0:06 video

The 2019 flood was the second worse one. And it has not generated power since 2019. (Those are big trees going through the gates.)

3:00 video @ 0:36
85' (26m) high [0:16]
Repairing the dam is estimated to cost $15m and take 4 years.
Removing the dam is estimated to cost $82m and take 10 years for permitting and removal. The project would include restoring the river and replacing the bridge south of the dam. Removing and properly disposing of the sediment that has accumulated behind the dam is a significant part of the removal cost.

MankatoFreePress
This dam does not have any structural problems and there is no risk of failure. But the Tainter gates no longer work and no hydropower is being generated. Results of a public survey were "Overall, 69% of responses were in favor of repairing the dam. Eighteen percent were in favor of removing the dam and 14% said they would support either decision."

Power for 1,500 homes and $500,000/year from the sale of the power. [mprnews]

"High water events in 2010, 2019, and 2020 have caused damage to the dam. The dam has not produced any energy since 2019." The dam has two turbines. [storymaps]

I have not been able to find the megawatt capacity of the dam. 

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Flood of 2024

UPDATE, Jun 24, 2024: Mother Nature has probably resolved the debate as to whether or not to remove this dam.

StarTribune, Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune
"Ryan Thilges, county engineer and public works director for Blue Earth County, said logs and debris from the river valley ended up plugging five steel gates that were open to allow as much water to flow through as possible. Without debris, the dam should have been able to clear the water, but instead the water rushed over the top and to the side. Blue Earth didn't have the necessary equipment to clear debris, and a contractor with a critical piece of equipment was hours away, and the high river posed significant safety concerns."
[Note how close the bank erosion is getting to the white house.]

I recommend this video. You can tell that this view is earlier than the above view because there is still some grass between the erosion bank and the white house.

11:13 video

I also follow this guy.

8:03 video @ 0:25

I think the white house has fallen into the river.

Facebook reel

Flood of 2024: (BNSF+D&I)/Milwaukee Bridge over Big Sioux River at North Sioux City

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

D&I = Dakota & Iowa (DAIR) The D&I lost several bridges due to the flood in 2019.

The museum just east of here has also been impacted by the flood.
 

Evidently the bridge collapsed around 11pm Jun 23, 2024. The TV station must have access to some serious lights.

KTIV News 4 posted
The North Sioux railroad bridge has collapsed into the Big Sioux River.

Andy Saunders: All of this happens very fast... we were 4 hours away heard that spencer was under water and booked it home got back just before the bridge closed... but we have our pups so that's a win even if we're stuck.

[Some comments indicate that some neighborhoods did get trapped by the flood waters because they were not evacuated. They were rescued by boat.]

Tim Ehrenberg shared
South Dakota/Iowa flooding

Normal river level:

Street View, May 2024

The white pier on the right was replaced between Nov 2021 and Sep 2023. Did they already have some flood damage?

Street View, Nov 2021

KTIV News 4 commented on their post

Candace Godbersen-Leff commented on the post by KTIV News 4
This is what it looked like at 7. [4 hours before the collapse.]

Candace also provided a photo of the traffic bridge in response to a request.

Casey Weidler commented on the post by KTIV News 4
At about 2am, it moved several feet south and down in the couple hours I was there

Casey Weidler commented on his comment

James McCabe Jr. commented on the post by KTIV News 4

Ramírez Alvarito commented on the post by KTIV News 4

Jeff Mueller commented on the post by KTIV News 4

Casey Weidler commented on the post by KTIV News 4

 

Casey Weidler commented on his own comment

Michael Peters posted three photos with the comment: "Sad news the old Bridge built by the Milwaukee Road in North Sioux City that has stood for years and has been used by CSX now for years has just fell due to flooding. This is just North East if the old Milwaukee Road Round House and shops in Sioux City, Iowa which is now the Sioux City Railroad Museum.  I haven't heard anything about the Round house yet. The area is closed of water is expected to crest around 7 am. The photos aren't mine because I can't get over there to see it do to road closers."

Tracey Folley-Purviance: BNSF* CSXT does come that far north west.

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Comments on Michael's post

NOAA

Live Storm Chasers posted three photos with the comment: "🚨BREAKING: A Train Bridge between North Sioux City, South Dakota & Sioux City, Iowa has broke in half with part of the bridge in the Big Sioux River due to major flooding!"

Hank Dralle shared

1, LSC Source: Josh Morris, cropped

2, LSC Source: Frank Bullitt, cropped

3, LSC Viewer: Jonni Jean Mills

Back in better days:

Bill Pearsall Flickr
Ferromex SCA
Ferromex leading a BNSF empty grain shuttle across the Big Sioux River into South Dakota, probably going to Jefferson.

More info on DAIR:

IowaDOT

1882 Fenelon Place Elevator (Funicular) in Dubuque, IA

Bottom: (Satellite, 880 photos)

Top: (Satellite, 3,528 photos)

HS Hose Camping posted
April 1940. Dubuque, Iowa. "Elevator which ascends from downtown district to residential section of bluffs." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon.
James Smith shared
wow, Iowa?

Patrick Thomas Koppes: one of the oldest funicular rails in the US...or the steepest....cant recall their claim...

Dennis DeBruler: Patrick Thomas Koppes Their claim is "the world’s steepest, shortest scenic railway." It is 296' (36m) long and has an elevation of 189' (58m). https://www.fenelonplaceelevator.com/

 

Rob Sterne commented on James' share
It hasn't changed much in 84 years.

FenelonPlaceElevator_history

Xiao Meow, Jun 2023

The funicular is the little black line at the end of 4th street that cuts across a lot of contour lines.

1955 Dubuque South @ 24,000

Wood Deck Truss Bridge over Kootenai River at Libby, MT

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite) Champion Haul Road

Street View, Dec 2021

Steve Brown posted
This old wooden bridge in Libby, Montana spans the Kootenai River. Once used by  the lumber industry to take logs to the mill.

Dennis DeBruler: Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvzQCp5tJuL8mn1c7

The road over the bridge is closed.

Street View, Nov 2021

1890 Crystal Springs Dam is the oldest mass concrete structure in the world

(Satellite)

Street View, Apr 2022

CivilGEO Inc. Software posted

More than 130 years later, ingenious design helps California dam stand strong

The Crystal Springs Dam’s interlocking concrete block system enhances the structural stability of the mass concrete.

Photograph courtesy of The Reading Room/Alamy

asce

"Crystal Springs Dam, which has a height of 145 ft [44m], is the oldest mass concrete structure built in the 19th century in the U.S. (Photograph courtesy of The Reading Room/Alamy)"

LC-DIG-ppmsca-17716

filoli
This source specifies 154' (47m) as the height of the dam.
This was the first concrete dam that was taller than 95' (29m). The construction of this dam included the invention of steam-powered machines to mix the concrete.

asce
As with most dams in California, this one was built to provide a water supply. In this case, for San Francisco. Chief Engineer Hermann Schussler advised the board of the Spring Valley Water Co. to buy the land of the 23,000-acre San Andreas Valley watershed, which they did.

asce
Hermann was aware that concrete shrank and became hot as it cured, so he built the dam as a series of interlocking blocks. The first set of blocks in a layer would be built like a checkerboard. Then the empty spaces would be filled in. The center of a block of the next layer would be built over the intersection of four blocks in the previous layer. And this photo shows that the blocks where keyed into the adjacent blocks. This created a dam that was strong enough to survive the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes without any significant damage even though it is only 1,100' (335m) east of to the San Andreas Fault.

asce
The dam is 600' (183m) long and contains 157,000 cu. yd. of concrete. It has a total capacity of 19 billion gallons. A 44" (1.1m) wrought iron pipeline that is 89,500' (27.3km, 17miles) long delivered the water via gravity to a terminal reservoir in San Francisco. "The pipeline performed well for many years before being replaced."

Queen Creek Bridges and Tunnel near Superior, AZ

1949 Bridge: (Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 225 photos)

1921 Bridge: (Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 53 photos)

1952 Tunnel: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

1921:

A Z, Feb 2023

1949:

Steve Schott, Apr 2024

1952, West Portal:

Street View, Apr 2024

More photos of the 1949 bridge

Jason, Feb 2019

Darel Maden posted
Queen Creek US 60 Arizona

Dennis DeBruler: Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PmGnrqsTkYZ3KRxA6

Neo Rodriguez, Jan 2017

Neo Rodriguez, Feb 2017

Neo Rodriguez, Feb 2017

Just to the right of the semi-truck on the left side of this view you can see part of the tunnel portal. To the right of center, I think the black rectangle is the portal for the old tunnel.

Street View, Apr 2024

Tomas Larzsohn, Mar 2023