The Blue Earth County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to remove the troubled Rapidan Dam and to replace the County Road 9 bridge.

Since heavy flooding in June damaged both the dam and the bridge, the County said it has been assessing their condition and safety.

The flooding also caused the Blue Earth River to overtop the dam and cause erosion, creating a new channel around the dam’s west abutment.

5 INVESTIGATES spoke with former Rapidan Dam workers who said the partial failure could have been prevented.

In 2022, analysis showed that the County paid over $6.7 million on maintenance and repair to the dam — over $554,000 more than it was making in revenue.

On June 30, the County said it learned about funding options for both river restoration and repairing the bridge.

With funding from Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief accounts and MnDOT disaster relief, workers will remove the bridge and build a replacement.

RELATED: Gov. Walz tours Rapidan Dam as concern grows over ‘potential failure’ of nearby bridge |
Rapidan Dam Store building taken down, removed from riverbank due to flooding | Rapidan Dam’s concerning history revealed as officials keep an eye on structural integrity | House located near Rapidan Dam falls into water as officials continue monitoring water levels