The city of Cedar Rapids put out an urgent call this week to keep people away from the banks of the Cedar River upstream from a dam near the city. Doug Wagner, chief of staff in the mayor’s office, says floating logs broke a safety line above a multipurpose dam and it removed a critical safety measure for boaters. The “Five-in-One Dam” is named that because it includes a lower local roadway, a higher one which is Interstate-380, a hydro-electric generating dam and also a conventional dam. Currents can be strong newer the dam, and floating buoys keep the line in place for the safety of unwary boaters. The Cedar River’s a popular spot for boating and though people don’t usually get too close to the dam, he notes within the last couple years the city fire department’s river-rescue team has rescued two people from the safety line. He says sometimes people can’t maintain control in the river current, and there’s always the chance a motor will go out. The city had asked the DNR to close access to the river but repairs were made before the action was taken.
