January 2026

2025: A Year of Major Construction Milestones

2025 was a critical year for Lake Ralph Hall, with visible progress on every part of the project. Below is a snapshot of the year’s achievements.

LEON HURSE DAM & SPILLWAY

Crews made significant progress on the dam and spillway, finishing most of the project’s dirt and concrete work. Progress details:

• Dirt work: Nearly finished, with a total of 5 million cubic yards of soil.
  
• Spillway (to release water downstream): To be completed early next year.
• Soil cement protection: 46 percent added as a protective layer on top of the dam.
• Intake tower: Almost finished, with pipes to be added in 2026.

THE WATER CONVEYANCE SYSTEM (From Lake to Treatment)

The conveyance system was mostly completed this year. Progress details:

• Pipeline: Completed, undergoing testing and commissioning.
• Pump station building: Completed, undergoing testing and commissioning.
• Balancing Reservoir: Earthwork and major structures mostly finished, with final completion in early 2026.
• Full System Testing: The entire water delivery system is undergoing final testing.

LAKE ADMINISTRATION & VISITOR BUILDINGS

The maintenance building is complete, and designs for the Lake Ralph Hall Visitor Center and Office were finalized. Progress details:

• Lake Visitor Center/Office: Designs were finalized in 2025, with plans to break ground in early 2026. Parking lot construction started this winter.
  
• Maintenance Building: Built from the ground up this year.

MITIGATION & RECREATIONAL OFFERINGS

Environmental improvements (mitigation) construction to be completed in early 2026, beginning the required seven years of monitoring. Construction of public lake access points began in late 2025, with completion scheduled for early 2027. Progress details:

• Stream Restoration: Ninety percent of the restored streams are flowing, with vegetation and trees taking root. Remaining streams and planting will be completed in early 2026.
  
• Permanent Ladonia Fossil Park: Constructed this year, including river access, parking, fencing, and a pavilion. Hosted first Fossil Day celebration.
• Shoreline Management Plans/Recreational Lake Access: Draft shoreline management plans drafted, and public access areas being planned.
  
• Boat Ramps & Fishing Jetty: Boat ramp locations were selected and construction is underway. The fishing jetty is already completed.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lake Ralph Hall is well on its way to securing a long-term, reliable water supply for generations to come. Both the dam and water delivery system are nearly finished, with the lake on schedule to begin filling in 2026 and delivering water later in the year. Recreation and public access will open later, once the lake is filled and safe for recreational use.

Taking the Dam and Spillway to New Heights

THE SPILLWAY

Crews are completing the top section of Lake Ralph Hall’s spillway, the structure that will occasionally carry water out of the lake and downstream. This final portion requires 31,000 cubic yards of roller-compacted concrete—enough to cover a football field nearly 15 feet deep!

Once the stepped concrete surface reaches elevation 540, crews will install a labyrinth weir on top. This zigzag shaped concrete structure is 13 feet tall and controls how water leaves the lake to help the dam keep the lake at its ideal maximum water level. The weir carefully regulates water releases between 551 and 553 feet above sea level, while still allowing high water above 553 feet to safely pass downstream.

During construction, water from the North Sulphur River is being rerouted through three large pipes located at the bottom of the new intake structure. The water is temporarily flowing through a not-yet-finished opening on the reservoir’s north side and downstream.

THE EARTHEN AND CONCRETE DAM

The concrete part of the dam is also progressing quickly—crews are adding about 2 vertical feet of concrete each day onsite. The dam to the right of the spillway is already complete, and the left side is now about 25 feet from its final height.

Workers are also finishing the northern sections of the dam and the final dirt work near the old North Sulphur River Channel. They are topping the earthen embankment with a protective layer of soil cement.

All major dirt and concrete work on the primary dam is planned to wrap up by the end of this year, with spillway completion anticipated in the first few months of 2026.