The inevitable removal of the aging LaPrele Dam near Douglas stirred up lively debate last fall — but now that the dam has been demolished, farmers who relied on it for irrigation water must adapt.
“We are, at the end of the day, at the mercy of Mother Nature,” local farmer Casey Darr told Cowboy State Daily.
Natural flow through LaPrele Creek will provide some irrigation water, but it likely won’t be nearly enough, said Darr, who also sits on the LaPrele Irrigation District board of directors.
Like many farmers in the area, he’s switching to less-thirsty crops. In the Carr family’s case, that means switching out alfalfa for native grass hay.
“For me, for example, I loaded up on hay. I’m not one of those people who sit around and wait for the world to take care of me,” Carr said.
And attention is now turning to replacing the dam.
The highest hope is to have a new “rolled compacted concrete” dam built by 2028, Carr said.
But it won’t come cheap. The highest price estimate for a new dam is $187 million, although it’s hoped the project can be completed for significantly less, he said.
Center pivot irrigation on a field downstream from LaPrele Reservoir. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
LaPrele Creek runs through Ayres Natural Bridge Park downstream from the reservoir and the aging and crumpbling LaPrele Dam, which has been demolished. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
LaPrele Creek runs through Ayres Natural Bridge Park downstream from the reservoir and the aging and crumpbling LaPrele Dam, which has been demolished. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
What Went Wrong?
There had been speculation for years that the old LaPrele dam was getting past its useful lifespan, and dangerously so.
The 130-foot-high dam was built in 1909 and was originally intended to have a 50-year lifespan.
Things came to a head in the fall of 2024.
Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart told Wyoming legislators that in early October, engineers found a new, large crack above the dam’s outlet works. They also discovered that older cracks were worsening.
There was a full inspection of the dam Oct. 13-15, he said. On Oct. 25, engineers, members of the LaPrele Irrigation District’s board of directors and others met in Cheyenne to discuss options.
It was decided during that meeting that breaching the dam was the only safe option.
Otherwise, it was argued, there was imminent risk of the dam suffering catastrophic failure, causing a deluge that could threaten lives and property all the way to Interstate 25 near Douglas.
Gebhart on Nov. 1, 2024 issued an order to breach the dam.
That sparked a lively debate over whether there was any way to save the dam. Or, at least delay the process, because farmers relied on LaPrele Reservoir for irrigation reserves. And the public liked to recreate on the reservoir, while the dam also helped mitigate seasonal flooding along the creek.
But the dam’s fate was sealed. Demolition began over the winter, and was finished by mid-April.
La Prele Dam in a file photo. (DA Smith Drilling Co.) 
LaPrele Dam in Wyoming as viewed by a helicopter survey by DA Smith Drilling Co. in this file photo. (DA Smith Drilling Co.)
Where To Go From Here
With farmers having to wait at least three years before reliable irrigation can return, the only thing to do for now is to adjust and hope for the best, Carr said.
Other options were considered, from drilling water wells, to putting in a temporary earthen dam, to piping in water from another drainage, he said. But none of them were viable.
Finding millions of dollars to fund the new dam could be tricky, and might require federal help, Wyoming legislator Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington, told Cowboy State Daily.
She’s a former member of the Legislature’s Joint Select Water Committee and was heavily involved in the discussions leading up to the decision to demolish the old dam.
There’s reason to hope, because President Donald Trump’s administration seems to favor infrastructure projects that boost American agriculture, she said.
Federal funding for a new LaPrele dam could possibly be rolled in with funds for pending improvements to the Goshen Irrigation District, Steinmetz said.
“With the new (Trump) administration, we have a much better chance of expediting these projects,” she said.
Carr said it’s hoped that a design firm can be contracted to start planning the new dam project by next year.
Echoing Steinmetz’s hopes for federal funding, Carr said money might be available through the Bureau of Reclamation – which oversees dams and other infrastructure on America’s rivers and reservoirs.
“We are confident that we will be fully funded,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
