City of Folsom to fix Willow Hill Dam valves

City officials are moving forward on the upgrade of Willow Hill Dam next to Folsom High School. The Folsom City Council voted Aug. 26 to approve the valve replacement project with an environmental green light. Willow Hill Reservoir is part of a 28-acre community park with a former ranch pond/lake for fishing and self-propelled watercraft like kayaks. The lake is next to Folsom High School, and athletes train on the trails. The overall $2.3 million city Water System Rehabilitation Project No. 1 includes the replacement of the waterline serving Black Miner's Bar, the valves on the Willow Hill Dam and upgrading the waterline at Rainbow Bridge. The Black Miner's Bar and Rainbow projects are already completed, staff said. The Willow Hill project involves the replacement of the upstream and downstream valves at the reservoir site. Valves on both sides of the dam are required by the Division of Safety of Dams, and both have reached the end of their serviceable life. "The existing valves on the upstream and downstream sides of the outlet pipe are no longer functional and need to be replaced," said Folsom Environmental & Water Resources Director Marcus Yasutake in the report. The project will involve replacing the existing slide gate on the upstream side of the dam at the reservoir, and replacing the existing isolation valve on the downstream side of the dam, staff said.