The Vacation Beach summer dam has not been installed since it failed on Aug. 29, 2024. This page tracks its status.
Current status
As of July 4, 2026: out for a third straight summer, no installation date. A state Division of Safety of Dams re-inspection on May 21, 2026 found damage outside the approved repair scope, sending the project back into re-permitting. The district says it cannot estimate an installation date. The county-installed seasonal crossing at Neeley Road has not gone in since the failure.
Timeline
- Aug. 29, 2024 — Dam breaches; a steel stringer on the Neeley Road side fails.
- Nov. 5, 2024 — State report bars reinstallation until repair plans and completed work are both approved.
- 2025 — No dam, no crossing. District hires structural and geotechnical engineers; state requires a streambed alteration agreement.
- May 12, 2026 — District announces final state signatures received.
- May 21, 2026 — State re-inspection finds new damage outside the approved scope.
- June 11, 2026 — District says repairs must be re-scoped and re-permitted; no installation date.
Full story: Vacation Beach summer dam slips away for a third summer.
Dam questions go to the Russian River Recreation and Park District, 707-869-9184. Crossing questions go to Sonoma Public Infrastructure, 707-565-3040. Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville has its own separate dam.