The North Tailwater area near the Red Rock Dam will be closed to the public beginning Aug. 4 to enable construction of hydroelectric facilities at the dam. The closure will extend until construction of the project is completed in the spring of 2018.
The closure will include the North Tailwater Recreation Area of Lake Red Rock, and a section of the Volksweg Trail from Howell Station Campground to North Overlook Picnic Area in that vicinity.
Missouri River Energy Services, which is building the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project, recently received real estate documents from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which are the final approvals needed to enable construction work to begin at the site.
Once built, the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project will be the second largest hydropower facility in Iowa and will be capable of producing enough electricity to supply about 18,000 homes.