MANHATTAN

Tests target dam at Tuttle reservoir

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin test drilling on Tuttle Creek Dam, which the corps wants to reinforce to withstand a high-magnitude earthquake.

Test drilling is scheduled to begin Tuesday and should be done by Christmas.

Bill Empson, project manager for the Tuttle Creek Dam Safety Assurance Program, said workers were looking to pare down some of the project’s cost, which is currently estimated near $206 million.

“Even a 10 percent increase in efficiency … may save us millions of dollars in the cost of the job,” Empson said.

The dam near Manhattan is 12 miles from the Humboldt fault, which produces major quakes once every 2,000 years.

The corps has become concerned that a major quake could destroy the dam and flood parts of Manhattan, endangering 14,000 people and 6,800 homes. Officials also fear that if the dam fails, levies downstream in Topeka and Kansas City could also break.

ARKANSAS CITY

Meatpacker sues for construction work

Creekstone Farms Premium Beef is seeking more than $75,000 in damages against the primary construction company in a renovation and expansion project at the beef plant.

The suit against Suitt Construction was filed this week in Cowley County court. The Bank of Nova Scotia, which owns an 85 percent interest in Creekstone, also is a plaintiff in the case.

Creekstone contends that work by Suitt Construction for the plant’s previous owner, Future Beef Operations, was defective. Creekstone bought the plant in January after Future Beef Operations declared bankruptcy in 2002.