Fears are rising over the Arkabutla Dam as officials work to repair a breach.
Residents have been told to stay away from the dam in Mississippi as it is undergoing emergency repairs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement on Tuesday that it had found "potential breach conditions" at the dam.
Local resident Kim Chhay told WATN that she thought the situation was "very critical."
"I mean if the dam broke down...it would be disastrous," Chhay said. "Millions and millions of gallons of water gushing down and flood[ing] everything down from the spillway or anywhere where it broke. It would cause a lot of damages."
The dam, which is in Tate and DeSoto counties, forms Arkabutla Lake, a reservoir on the Coldwater River.
Once the breach was found, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning because if the dam breaks, low-lying areas could be affected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said there is no immediate danger and officials are working to immediately mitigate any impact from the situation.
Water levels are being lowered to at least 210 feet to lower the risk of the dam breaching. Once this is done, repairs will be underway. The water had been at 229 feet, WATN reported.
Tunica County Emergency Management official Leron Weeks told WATN that while flooding is possible, it is not projected at this point.
"But I always tell my citizens, always be careful and also just be aware of what's going on and everything. We are monitoring the river levels every day," Weeks said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not specified how the breach occurred, but dams can sometimes break when water spills over the top. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy snowmelt, landslides and extreme storms can also damage their structure.
The Arkabutla Dam, which is about 11,500 feet long and 67 feet high, was constructed in the 1940s for flood control. A series of disastrous floods hit the area before its construction, including the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, one of the most severe floods ever in the U.S. During that flood, more than 23,000 square miles of land flooded, about 250 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced.
There are several areas around the dam that have been closed until officials can determine their safety: Old Pratt Road, Scenic Route 301 along the base of Arkabutla Dam, the South Outlet Channel Campground and the Day Use Area (including Swinging Bridge Nature Trail and a boat ramp) and the North Outlet Day Use Area. The latter includes playgrounds, pavilions, a fishing pier, the Coldwater River Nature Trail and a basketball court.
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
