Bus safety should be a significant concern of Supervisors in the case of the county lake. On March 13, The Dispatch published a frontpage article whose title could imply that the county was waiting on engineers. I had contacted The Dispatch several weeks before this article with a tip that funding for the study had been put on hold. So, when this article appeared I was grateful for them educating the public. As of this article, the supervisors had been silent about the study being stopped for review. The article further discussed the latest dam inspection report that painted a “grim picture” of numerous issues with the dam. I am sure reporters have limited time researching and writing an article. Retired engineers have much more time. Let’s take a deeper “true” look at how we got here. (I have copies of reports and correspondence backing up the following.)
In 1979, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) performed an in-department inspection and reported many of the problems discussed in the latest inspection. So, they aren’t new, just neglected. During the winter of 2019, the BOS somehow forgot to remove the boards from the weir which was allowing a higher lake elevation. Heavy rains made it dangerous to then remove. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) made an inspection during this time and commented on lake level. On 14 January 2020 a sloughed slide appeared in the downstream face, and the BOS panicked. Downstream evacuations were issued, USACE and MDEQ sent dam experts on15 January to evaluate the danger. They determined the slide was surficial and not indicative of a breach in progress. The experts then returned to their offices. (Who believes these engineers leave a dam about to breach? Raise your hand!) Did this end evacuations? No! BOS spent about $250K pumping water from the lake and finally lowering the lake intake.
Since then, the BOS has paid over $300K on numerous engineering studies dated September 2021, December 2021, January 2022, and November 2022 all pointing out that the downstream slide will grow if not fixed. Two of the above reports explain how to fix the slides. I contacted two other engineers familiar with this type of slides and requested an estimate to repair. They ranged from $55K to $75K, but that was using a contract. The county could save money by using some county crews.
I think the public and the School Board should demand the BOS fix this area, now! The County has school kids being carried daily across this slide area. What is the BOS waiting on? Maybe an incident? Waiting on dam rehabilitation is unacceptable!
George Sills
Starkville
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
