The Little Falls Dam was originally constructed in 1892 and reconstructed in 1906 at its present location. The WDNR needed a new dam designed to pass the 1,000-year return period flood, discharge cooler water from lower elevations in the reservoir, reduce the frequency of gate operations, and maintain public access to the dam. Mead & Hunt presented numerous dam configurations to address the many design objectives. We collaborated with agency staff to design a new dam composed of an overflow spillway, intake tower with multiple withdrawal elevations, four crest gates, and non-overflow sections.
The newly rebuilt dam is expected to provide a century of safe flood passage, user-friendly recreation amenities for park visitors, and easier gate operations and water level control for park staff.