LAKE SERENE — As hurricane season enters its busiest stretch, state officials say routine inspections and maintenance by private dam owners are critical to reducing the risk of failures at Mississippi’s high-hazard dams.
A high-hazard designation reflects the potential consequences of a dam failure — not the likelihood that one will occur. Mississippi has more than 6,800 dams, including 351 classified as high hazard.
Matthew Iburg, with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Dam Safety Division, said 52 high-hazard dams are classified as being in unsatisfactory condition. Most have already been intentionally breached or placed under lake-level restrictions to reduce risk while repairs are completed.
MDEQ Executive Director Chris Wells said each of the agency’s regional project managers is responsible for an average of 1,380 dams.
“This is much higher than the national average of approximately 280 dams per employee as obtained from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials,” Wells said.
Because MDEQ cannot inspect every dam frequently, he said owners’ routine inspections and maintenance are essential to identifying problems before they become emergencies.
Owners of high- and significant-hazard dams are required to complete annual inspections and obtain a formal inspection from a Mississippi-licensed professional engineer every five years, Iburg said. MDEQ compares its findings with owner reports and provides guidance to help owners recognize potential problems.
“They’re following a checklist, but they may not know what all the terminology is,” Iburg said. “We try to give them as much information as possible, so they understand what they’re looking for.”
Inspectors routinely look for seepage, cracks, overgrown vegetation, animal burrows and spillway deficiencies that can weaken a dam. While many of Mississippi’s dams are decades old, Iburg said age alone is not the greatest concern.
“Our dams are aging infrastructure,” he said. “The main reason for them becoming more hazardous is lack of maintenance.”
That inspection process plays out every month at Lake Serene in Lamar County, where the homeowners association maintains five lakes, including two dams classified as high hazard.
Jonathan Williams, president of the Lake Serene Homeowners Association, said the group conducts monthly inspections, documents potential problems and works with MDEQ before repairs begin.
“Sometimes we find weak spots or spots that just need a little bit of attention,” Williams said. “Before we do any maintenance, we have to involve them.”
A map highlights dam locations across southern Mississippi, including Greene, Lamar, Forrest and surrounding counties. Credit: National Inventory of DamsWilliams said the association submits reports describing proposed repairs and, if needed, MDEQ brings in outside engineers to evaluate the structure.
Despite having two dams with a high-hazard classification, Williams said residents should not assume the dams are likely to fail.
“It is very, very unlikely, if everyone is doing what they’re supposed to do, of a dam failure to that magnitude,” he said.
Residents can use MDEQ’s online dam map to locate nearby dams and view flood maps showing areas that could be affected if a dam were to fail.
Iburg said residents living downstream from high-hazard dams should stay informed during severe weather, monitor emergency alerts and know their evacuation routes. Every high-hazard dam is required to have an emergency action plan identifying areas that could be affected by a failure and outlining notification procedures for emergency responders and public officials.
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