A Slow Motion Dam Failure? I Guess We'll See

Starting last week, an earthen dam in Barnsdale, Oklahoma on Lake Waxhoma developed a leak. A fairly substantial leak. The powers that be declared a victory, but now it looks as though that may have been premature. (Water always wins.)

So first the story from last week. Barnsdall Mayor: Breach At Lake Waxhoma Dam Fixed Temporarily, Situation Under Control. There are a couple of news report videos at that link. The first one is less than 2 minutes and has some great images of the breach.

According to Mayor Kelley, once the hole was discovered, crews immediately started working to fill it and slow the flow of water coming through. Kelley said that crews brought 550 tons of large rock and material to build up around the mouth of the dam to help slow the water down.

The dam is rated "high hazard." That means if it did fail, there is a large potential for destruction. The lake contains about 2.5 million cubic meters or 660 million gallons of water.

After they added the rock and some dirt they declared victory.

Mayor Kelley said that due to the high amounts of rain that hit the area in the past few days, as well as the fact that the dam is designated a "high-hazard," it was a concerning situation when they first got word. However, Kelley stressed that there is no imminent danger to the area and officials do not believe the dam will collapse.

That was a week ago. This week, they are not so certain. City Of Barnsdall Pumping Water Out Of Lake Waxhoma In Effort To Relieve Pressure From Leaking Dam

Heavy rains have caused the temporary fix from last week to erode.

Mayor Johnny Kelley said that is just part of the reason why water is flowing over County Road 2331 and into a creek. Because of a weak spot in the dam, Kelley said water is flowing under the spillway, instead of over as is intended.

So they are pumping water out of the lake. Which will cause its own set of problems, as the lake appears to be a primary source of water for people in the area. And to make matters worse there is a boil order in effect for residents of the area.

The image above shows the spillway. As in other cases of dam failure, you can see vegetation growing out of the spillway. This is a maintenance issue.