Huntsville is delaying an upgrade on the Brunel Locks for the time being. Council voted on Monday night to wait on replacing the retaining walls until the town can find a funding partner.
Huntsville’s Director of Operations and Protective Services, Steve Hernen, says the decision was made as quotes for the project were over budget.
Hernen says the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is looking at doing some work on dams, and it’s possible the town can partner up with the ministry to do a large scale project. For now, Hernen says they will do temporary repairs.
However, he says it’s not a permanent fix. The issue stems from the wood in the retaining walls deteriorating as time goes on. Hernen says a full replacement means taking water out of the locks which is a huge part of the job. So, he says if work on the dam needs to be done in the future there might be a way to do both projects at the same time.