Fannin County, Texas -- Construction crews began redirecting water from the North Sulphur River channel on October 28 and moving it for the first time through the Leon Hurse Dam spillway.

The process began in late October when workers started building a temporary coffer dam just south of the spillway, which is also still under construction.

The smaller dam will block the river’s natural flow, diverting the water northward through the intake channel to the spillway.

Once the water reaches the top of the spillway, it will flow through a 120-foot-wide weir, down a concrete and rip-rap slope, and re-enter the river channel downstream.

The coffer dam, made of 80,000 cubic yards of dirt (equivalent to filling up half of the Eiffel Tower), should take only a few of weeks to construct. It’s designed to withstand a 10-year flood event, providing temporary protection allowing the crews to finish building the remaining 3400 feet of embankment, providing a permanent dam across the North Sulphur River.

After the crews complete the embankment, they will complete construction on the spillway, raising it to its design elevation.