Restructuring of a floodwater dam near Seneca is now complete - KOAM TV 7

Restructuring of a floodwater dam outside of Seneca is now complete

A ceremony was held Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the rehabilitation of a floodwater dam outside of Seneca, Missouri.

The dam, also known as B-2, sits in Newton County in between Seneca and Neosho.

The dam was built in 1980 and provides flood protection to area residents and to drivers on Highway 86, and state highways CC and K.

B-2 has been out of compliance with state regulations since it was reclassified as a high hazard dam in 2002.  The dam will soon be back in compliance now that it is rehabilitated.

"Some of the things we had to do is widen the spillway from about 50 to 150 feet," says Lynn Jenkins, a District Conservationist of Newton and McDonald Counties.  "We also lowered the spillway that's on the other side of the dam and that's called the principal spillway.  And then we had to increase the height of the dam a small amount too."

Funding came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The rehabilitation cost $185,000.