Concerns rise over structural integrity of Oktibbeha County Lake dam

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The dam at the Oktibbeha County Lake was not built to design specifications – and the Army Corp of Engineers first made that report 40 years ago.

In a letter to county supervisors from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, a history of past and current slope failures was highlighted.

In fact, William McKercher, Chief of the Dam Safety Division, pointed out that some of these failures have been going on since 1985.

Several surveys are recommended, including a potential failure modes analysis. It does just that – identify possible failures throughout the dam.

MDEQ has requested the county provide a file of Supporting Technical Information by the end of July.  That includes a timetable to do the assessments.

All of this will affect possible state and even federal funding to remove and replace the dam.

The most recent slide happened in January and residents were placed on notice at that time that there could be a breach and the potential of severe flooding.