Folsom Dam has some cosmetic cracks in its newer spillway but officials say there is nothing to worry about.

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The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $16.6 million contract in January for construction on rods within hydraulic cylinders of the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway gates that control the flow of water and began cracking after the completion of the spillway’s construction in 2017, according to Tyler Stalker, a spokesperson for the corps.

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“In 2017, we began to see indications that the hard coating may be cracking, (the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and (the) U.S. Bureau of Reclamation undertook extensive testing of the rods and assessed the potential impact of any cracks that may extend down to the steel rod,” Stalker said via email. “From those tests, we concluded that there are micro-cracks and, if unremedied, the useful life of the gates would likely be less than the intended 50-year lifespan.”

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Construction will start in 2025, officials said, and is expected to be completed by 2027.

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The spillway’s construction costs totaled $900 million and includes an 1,100-foot approach channel that funnels water from Folsom Lake into the spillway, according to the corps’ website. Stalker said cracking in coatings that are used to protect steel structures from corrosion is not unusual, and it does not indicate broken or failing system components.

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“Regular inspections are intended to identify areas where maintenance and repairs may be necessary and are implemented immediately upon commissioning of the facility,” he said. “In this case, the micro-cracks appeared earlier than expected and out of an abundance of caution.”

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The installation of new rods and cylinders will be with a different type of coating that is less susceptible to cracking, corps officials said.

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Stalker said the spillway gates are fully functional and safe and that the dam operated for flood releases in the January storms without any issue or damage.

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“There’s not an issue with how it’s functioning today,” he said. “It was determined that it would be beneficial for both the corps and the Bureau of Reclamation to address that problem now … rather than waiting for it to get exacerbated later in the process.”

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In 2020, federal crews began a five-year effort to raise the height of Folsom Dam by 3.5 feet to increase flood protection for 440,000 downstream residents in metropolitan Sacramento, including areas of Arden Arcade and Rosemont.

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That project was expected to cost nearly $400 million and would allow the federal Bureau of Reclamation to hold an additional 43,000 acre-feet of water, or 4% more capacity, in the reservoir annually.