Emergency Officials Monitor Area Dams In Flood Zone
Residents, Local Officials Express Concern
Updated: 8:23 pm CDT August 20, 2007
CAZENOVIA, Wis. -- State and local emergency officials continue to keep tabs on all the dams in the parts of Wisconsin reeling from this weekend's flooding.
READ Authorities Step In As Recovery Begins From Weekend Flooding |
VIDEO: Officials Monitor Area Dams |
UPLOAD: Share Video Of Storm |
UPLOAD: Share Photos Of Storm |
TALKBACK: Experiencing Flooding? |
INTERACTIVE: Information About Flooding |
SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 1) |
SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 2) |
SLIDESHOW:See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 3) |
SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 4)Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources said that seven dams in Vernon County are already flowing over and could collapse at any time. Officials said that the dams have water running down their emergency spillways.In the village of Cazenovia, however, some residents are breathing a sigh of relief. Residents and local government said that they were concerned the dam there could give way.The Cazenovia Dam on Lee Lake in Cazenovia does have some damage. Flood waters dislodged two concrete blocks on the dam and carried one block downstream. Afterward, some homes nearby were flooded, WISC-TV reported.Jim Drea, the village president, and a DNR engineer were out evaluating the damage on Monday afternoon. They said that although the damage was superficial, the structure was still sound."It's just a facial structure thing that needs to be (repaired)," Drea said. "We're concerned; we want it to look nice again."Diane Smith, who lives near Cazenovia, said that she was concerned about damage done to the dam. She said that she got curious to see the damage firsthand and took photos of the dam after most of the waters had receded."I had never seen anything like that happen in my lifetime," Smith said. "I was worried because that is a lot of water, lots of homes, lots of people."Drea said that he thinks the dam will stand up to the pressure."I feel very confident that there is no hazard or any problems," he said.Drea said that the dam was redone in 2000 and the concrete blocking was added in 2004.Officials haven't put a dollar figure on the damage yet.Officials warn that a dam breach in Cazenovia would cause flooding problems not only for that village, but for Sauk County along the Baraboo River.Meanwhile, some homes near the Cazenovia dam were damaged by floodwaters, but none was damaged badly enough to evacuate.
Report: State Is Behind In Dam Inspections
Wisconsin inspectors are behind schedule when it comes to checking the state's dams, according to a newspaper report. That list includes the dam at Stewart Lake near Mount Horeb.The state DNR hasn't inspected at least 230 state-regulated dams in the past 10 years, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.State law requires inspections once every 10 years at least, WISC-TV reported.About 67 of those dams are considered a high or significant hazard, according to a warning issued last week.
Previous Stories:
- August 20, 2007: Authorities Step In As Recovery Begins From Weekend Flooding
- August 20, 2007: Authorities Declare Crawford County Disaster Area
- August 20, 2007: Some Oregon Residents Flooded Out Of Homes
- August 20, 2007: Flooding Forces Evacuations, Causes Mudslide In SW Wisconsin
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