Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker, | |||
| 307-212-0197 |
Little Robber Detention Dam Weakens Threatening Baggs Highway 789
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office (RFO) advises the Little Robber Detention Dam is weakening posing a flooding hazard to Highway 789, known as the Baggs Highway.
The Little Robber Detention Dam is located 13 miles north of Baggs, Wyo., approximately 2 miles west of Highway 789, the primary road between Creston Junction, Wyo. and Craig, Colo. The 55 foot high earth filled dam backs up the Little Robbers Gulch forming the headway to the Little Robber Reservoir. Failure of the dam could potentially submerge Highway 789, making the road impassible. No alternate route is available. The Little Robber Reservoir surface area is 28 acres with a storage capacity of 633 acre feet of water. No residences are threatened; however numerous gas wells are located in the area.
As of Monday evening, the dam’s principal spillway pipe is flowing full, eroding the back slope, and weakening the structure. The damage is due to separation of the corrugated metal pipe spillway. The detention dam was built in the 1940’s, repaired in 2005, and is maintained by the BLM. The RFO is coordinating with Carbon County emergency management personnel, the State of Wyoming, and local officials to develop an action plan.
For more information, contact Rawlins Field Manager Dennis Carpenter, 307-320-5319.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2012, activities on public lands generated $4.6 billion in revenue, much of which was shared with the States where the activities occurred. In addition, public lands contributed more than $112 billion to the U.S. economy and helped support more than 500,000 jobs.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 North Third Rawlins, WY 82301