Scrutiny on Blue Earth County following Rapidan Dam disaster

Two former workers at the Rapidan Dam told KSTP that Blue Earth County didn't do enough to prevent debris from clogging the dam in the weeks before its partial failure in June .

Why it matters: Federal and state taxpayers could now end up footing much of the bill to remove the county-owned dam and replace a now-unusable highway bridge upstream, the Mankato Free Press reports .

• The new bridge alone will cost $18 million.

What they're saying: The dam disaster "was all completely avoidable," former dam manager Ron Jordan told KSTP , noting that pictures showed debris at the site days beforehand.

• "[The county] did not lift a finger to get rid of these trees piling up in front of the gates. They're plugging the gates."

The other side: Blue Earth County officials disputed Jordan's claims, telling the news station that debris wasn't a concern until the day before the failure.

• By then, unusually high floodwaters would've made removing the debris unsafe.

Catch up quick: The dam has long been a conundrum for the county.

• Despite severe damage from a 2019 flood, a consultant told the county as recently as January that the dam wasn't at risk.
• Assured by these reports, county commissioners opted against what could've been an $82 million project to remove the dam.

The bottom line: Now, "removing [the dam] seems the only option," commissioner Vance Stuehrenberg said at a recent meeting, according to the Free Press.