Dam Safety

Corps increases potential breach emergency status of Arkabutla Dam to ‘watch’

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Corps increases potential breach emergency status of Arkabutla Dam to ‘watch’
(photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

On Jan. 28, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a potential dam breach “watch” for Arkabutla Dam in DeSoto and Tate counties in northwest Mississippi.

The Corps said the physical condition of the dam is unchanged, and a dam breach is not imminent. The Vicksburg District has increased the potential breach emergency status at Arkabutla Dam from “alert” because of increasing reservoir levels due to recent week-long precipitation and snow/ice melt in the Arkabutla Lake drainage basin. 

Constructed in 1943, Arkabutla Dam on the Coldwater River is 65 feet high and 10,000 feet long and reduces flood risk for 19,000 residents. The dam protects $510 million in homes and businesses. The potential breach is associated with observed signs of distress discovered in May 2023. The district’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activated after crews discovered a depression near the toe of the dam, where the dam meets the earth, which could cause severe foundation loss and a breach if left untreated.

Currently, reservoir pool elevation is 213.6 ft, spillway crest elevation is 238 ft and the spillway is not activated. The Arkabutla Dam pool restriction is 204 ft elevation, and releases are 2,000 cubic feet per second.

Interim risk reduction measures are under way but are not yet complete. Emergency repairs are expected to be completed this summer. Operational releases associated with lowering the lake are not expected to induce downstream flooding, the Corps said.

The Vicksburg District is coordinating with the National Weather Service and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to maximize public awareness in affected areas.