Shawano County Highway Department crews built 4-foot sand berms on each side of the Balsam Row Road Dam to prevent the dam from failing.
Sheriff George Lenzner said the sheriff’s department and emergency management were notified just before 5 p.m. April 14 of the dam’s risk of failure.
“We’re hoping the dam holds out itself,” he said. “The biggest problem is the water is so high it’s going to go around the dam, and you don’t want something like up in Manawa to happen here.”
The Manawa Dam suffered a catastrophic breach during a July 2024 flood.
Lenzner said if the dam gives way, they also need to consider closing the County Road A bridge to the south to keep that safe.
“If they wouldn’t have done that last night (built the berms), it probably would have gone over,” Lenzner said. “I was out there this morning (April 15). The berms are working. It’s a good thing they put them up.”
The sheriff said if the rain stops or if minimal amounts fall, the water level of the Wolf River may start to decrease.
Deputies also went door to door the night of April 14 to notify residents of the possibility of the dam failing and urged them to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.
“You never know until it happens,” he said of whether the homes are high enough to avoid severe water damage.
All across the county, roads are blocked off due to high water levels.
“We have so many roads closed in Shawano County right now, (the highway department) is out of barricades,” Lenzner said.
He said places like the Pella Dam, state Highway 156, County Road D and many roads in the Navarino area are affected.
“Hopefully we won’t get any rain today,” he said.
Lenzner said the department has been using social media to notify residents of closed roads and dangerous area, but that becomes a double-edged sword.
“Every time we put something out on Facebook with the location like the dam, you have 100 people out there getting in the way. Everybody wants to see. That’s why when you start listing roads people shouldn’t go on, we tend to get more people that go there, because they want pictures.”
The sheriff’s department said dam operators remain on site and are closely monitoring conditions. Emergency coordinators will be notified immediately if there are any signs of structural concerns or potential failure.
At this time, evacuations are not necessary. However, the department strongly encourages residents to have a plan in place should conditions change.
All residents are encouraged to text 54166 to 888777 to receive emergency alerts.
Residents in the area of the Balsam Row Road Dam have been told to be prepared to evacuate if the dam fails. Sand berms were built the night of April 14 to mitigate the disaster, but officials warn residents that there are no guarantees of safety. (Shawano County Sheriff’s Department)
