NEOSHO, Mo. — A Newton County area prone to deadly drownings is now safer thanks to a project three years in the making.

This morning the City of Neosho, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Missouri Department of Conservation cut the ribbon for the reconstructed Lime Kiln Rocky Slope Dam.

The area has been closed since June of last year two people drowned.

At least five people have drowned in Shoal Creek below the Lime Kiln Dam in the last seven years.

Past conditions at the dam also created a hazardous undercurrent and prevented fish from passing through it.

But now thanks to many organizations and construction companies the area is much safer for people to enjoy again.

“Swimming will just be like any other creek that you’ll go to, I mean you’ll swim at your own risk. What we have eliminated is the undercurrent that existed prior to the rocky slope dam,” said David Kennedy, City Manager of Neosho.

The dam itself hasn’t had any work done since its construction in the 1940s.