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The Pembina County Water Resource District (PCWRD) will be completing necessary repairs at Renwick Dam in the fall of 2025. In March and April of 2025, Erosion was observed in the channel downstream of the dam embankment. Erosion is being monitored by the PCWRD to document progression and to assess any potential dam safety risks. As of the date of this press release, risk to the dam is considered minor. The PCWRD will continue to monitor the erosion through the summer months and will keep the public informed if conditions change. Due to the erosion, the existing rock lining the channel has become unstable, and is subject to movement. The PCWRD directs all users of the park to avoid the channel immediately downstream of the dam.

We are currently assessing the cause of the erosion downstream and will be developing a solution. Recently, a temporary drawdown occurred to allow technical staff safe access to conduct field investigations. Recognizing the recreational value of the Lake, we DO NOT intend to continue drawdown conditions through the summer months. We do not anticipate any future drawdowns until the construction of the channel repair. Presently, the earliest we would conduct a drawdown would be after Labor Day (September 1, 2025), unless conditions change that pose a risk to the dam’s integrity.  

We do caution recreationalists that normal fluctuations in lake levels do occur. We’ve had two years of below normal snowpack and runoff, and generally dry conditions in the summer months. Low water levels can still occur due to limited runoff, even if the lake is not drawn down from the dam outlet. The dam is currently in normal operation with the low level draw down gate closed.