City Administrator Jonne Slemons issued the following statement about the Old Lake Dam.
The heavy rains Bethany has been experiencing have resulted in some surface erosion of the dam at the Old City Lake. The erosion is on the “dry side” of the dam. The dam has not broken. The City’s water supply is safe. There is no danger of contamination.
City and County personnel were on-site early this morning to assess the situation. They have consulted with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
SEMA is sending a dam safety engineer from the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He is on his way, with a Disaster Trailer in case additional equipment is needed. He is expected to arrive around mid-day to assess the situation in person.
On DNR’s advice, steps are underway to buttress the erosion to strengthen it – specifically, the dam will immediately be reinforced with rock, building from the bottom up.
In the long term, the slope side of the dam will need to be flattened. Other steps may be necessary, once a full engineering assessment has been performed.