It was projected to take as long as 12 months for the new Duck River reservoir to fill with water, though the record flooding that hit Cullman County on Christmas cut that estimate down from one year to approximately one week.

Storms dumped approximately 8 inches of rain on Cullman County during the 48-hour period surrounding Christmas Day, raising the water level by approximately 70-75 feet, to an elevation of 715 — just 10 feet short of the planned “full pool” level. During peak rainfall levels on Friday, officials say the new lake was rising as much as a foot every 5-7 minutes. The city had until November 2016 to fill the dam, via the permit requirements.

Once the additional rainfall on Monday is counted, officials say the lake may now be completely full, or just a few feet shy. Officials say it is possible the new lake could top out by the end of the week, with even more rain expected on Wednesday before storms finally move out of the area.

Though the reservoir filled much faster than anticipated, dam project coordinator Dale Greer and engineer of record CH2M Hill report there were no major problems detected from the extremely fast fill-up.

“The dam appears to be holding up well,” Greer said. “Drains are working, and water is going where it’s supposed to go. Even though no one expected it to fill this quickly, it appears to be working correctly. Under normal conditions, you’d obviously like it to fill a little slower so you can monitor things as it goes, but it’s designed to hold all that water.”

Though the dam was technically prepared for the onslaught, the work crews with ASI Constructors were not. The rain came on so quickly, the company still had some equipment on site that was swallowed by the rising water. The company will be working this week to pull out a large generator and small welder that are still sitting under the waves.

Though the lake is near full pool, officials made a point to discourage those wanting to visit the lake — which remains an active construction site. There is still some debris that needs to be cleared, and crews will still be working to complete the spillway and other phases. Officials wanted to reiterate it remains an active construction site and trespassing is prohibited due to safety concerns. Though the site remains closed, an overlook on County Road 1640 is available for curious on-lookers to keep tabs on the progress.

“We’re asking folks to just give us a little while, because we’re still trying to get everything together,” Greer said.

The temporary plug to start backing up water in the lake was installed on Saturday, Dec. 19. The dam itself is at an elevation of approximately 741-743, with the spillway at an elevation of 725.

To start backing up water for the reservoir, a temporary plug made of 36 yards of concrete — approximately four truck-loads — was installed in the 10-foot diameter pipe. Eventually, a final plug will be fully installed. Throughout the entire process, the city is still maintaining downstream releases as to not affect the ecosystem beyond the dam.

The reservoir project will create a 640-acre lake with a 32-million-gallon-per-day capacity in northeast Cullman County, which will work in conjunction with the area’s current sole major water source Lake Catoma. The design will be a hybrid, with roller-compacted concrete in the center and earthen wings.

Officials say the project remains on budget, though some final changes could potentially push construction above or below projected costs.

The price jumped significantly to approximately $110 million due to a required redesign once some additional geology was uncovered before the start of construction, though officials say the final cost could come in lower than projected thanks to savings in materials and supplies. Solid numbers on the final cost will likely not be available until January 2016, and officials note some lingering contractor disputes could push into next year.

Once the lake does open for use, officials say it will likely be limited to boat motors of 9.9 horsepower or lower, much like Lake Catoma. It could also take several months for the lake to be stocked, a task that is being handled by the state.