MAY 28, 2015
MIDLOTHIAN, TEXAS
A dam on a tiny Ellis County lake that officials worried
could fail should be fine after closer analysis.
Residents in Midlothian and Grand Prairie were warned early
Wednesday morning that a breech in the Padera Lake, or Texas Lake, dam was
imminent.
But city engineers who re-evaluated it in the daylight
determined it was more stable than it had been. By midday engineers opted to
build a relief channel to drain out water from behind the dam.
“We are confident that we'll be able to keep lake levels
down with that relief that emergency relief channel they created,” said
Midlothian Police Chief Carl Smith. “They're going to monitor that all through
the night like they have been doing."
If the dam breaks, a flood wave could wash over Highway 287.
The water would eventually flow into area creeks and Joe Pool Lake.
The highway was shut down Wednesday morning as a precaution.
West and northbound traffic was diverted to Highway 67 and east and southbound
traffic was detoured to Old Fort Worth Road.
There are about 25 homes downstream. Those people were asked
to evacuate. Livestock owners were also asked to move their animals to higher
ground.
All people and animals were allowed to return to their homes
by midday.
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MAY 27, 2015
MIDLOTHIAN, TEXAS
Concerns about a dam breach in Ellis County have eased after
an inspection by a team of engineers from the county, the builder, and the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Early Wednesday morning, water was spilling over the top of the Padera Lake dam near U.S. Highway 287 and Kimble Road, three miles northwest of Midlothian.
Early Wednesday morning, water was spilling over the top of the Padera Lake dam near U.S. Highway 287 and Kimble Road, three miles northwest of Midlothian.
At the time, the Department of Agriculture and county
emergency management officials said the dam was in "imminent danger"
of a breach. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning in
advance of the anticipated wave of water coming through the dam — an estimated
15 to 20 feet.
Preparations were made to shut down U.S. 287. People living in 25 homes were warned about possible flooding and given the option to evacuate their houses and move livestock to higher ground.
The earthen dam has been under construction for a year, and what's in place now is a cofferdam set up to keep the area dry while crews work.
Preparations were made to shut down U.S. 287. People living in 25 homes were warned about possible flooding and given the option to evacuate their houses and move livestock to higher ground.
The earthen dam has been under construction for a year, and what's in place now is a cofferdam set up to keep the area dry while crews work.
Midlothian Police Chief Carl Smith said in the early morning
hours the water was rushing over the dam quickly, but it began to taper off
later.
"Until we got to the morning light and got some of the engineers out here to verify the consistency of the cofferdam, we just took a conservative approach in terms of reacting to that, " Smith said.
Pumps are being used to lower the lake's level and create a controlled flow into two nearby creeks. Smith said that should keep homes out of immediate danger. However, he said the situation will be monitored continuously -- especially with the threat of more rain in the forecast.
Smith said ultimately it will be up to the experts at TCEQ to determine if any other work needs to be done on the dam to head off an emergency in the days ahead.
"Until we got to the morning light and got some of the engineers out here to verify the consistency of the cofferdam, we just took a conservative approach in terms of reacting to that, " Smith said.
Pumps are being used to lower the lake's level and create a controlled flow into two nearby creeks. Smith said that should keep homes out of immediate danger. However, he said the situation will be monitored continuously -- especially with the threat of more rain in the forecast.
Smith said ultimately it will be up to the experts at TCEQ to determine if any other work needs to be done on the dam to head off an emergency in the days ahead.