Thread: Dam fails in eastern Iowa, causing massive flooding

To the credit of local officials no one was injured or killed in this disaster. I've not heard of a dam failure in this country. There is, howver, a dam in the Nashville area that is problematic. I guess fixing this mess means there are a few jobs to be had now.

(CNN) -- A dam on an eastern Iowa lake suffered a "catastrophic" failure Saturday, sending a massive amount of water into nearby communities and forcing residents to flee, officials said.

The Lake Delhi dam, about 45 miles north of Cedar Rapids, failed as a result of "massive rain -- a very unusually high amount this season," according to Jim Flansburg, communications director for Gov. Chet Culver.

Culver told CNN that nearly 10 inches of rain had recently fallen in a 12-hour period in the area and was "too much water for the dam to hold."

The roads on either side of the dam -- which were part of the cement dam's containment measures -- apparently gave out as a result of the rainfall, Flansburg told CNN.

The National Weather Service reported a 30-foot-wide gap in the berm alongside the dam.


However, as of Saturday evening, the waters appeared to be receding, Flansburg said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/24/iow...ach/index.html