Hope Mills residents concerned new dam will cause flooding

HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Years after the dam in Hope Mills failed, preparation is underway for constructing a new dam, but some residents are concerned about the water level after it is finished. Property owners are worried that when the lake is restored later this year, the water level will be too high and cause flooding.

In 2003, heavy rains flooded the lake, collapsing the earthen dam. Seven years and millions of dollars later, a new dam was built. Residents complained it was too big and the water level too low. It also sprung a leak. It's now being demolished.

As construction crews prepare to work on the new dam, members of the Hope Mills Lake Advisory Commission don't think the level will be higher than it was originally.

"There was no flooding at the time (of the original water level) on the properties at the end of the lake," said Rod MacLean, a member of the commission. "There was no flooding on the properties along the sides of the lake, so now all of the sudden how it can cause flooding is a bit of a question."

That question will have to be answered before the Army Corp of Engineers will approve a building permit for the new dam.

Hope Mills town leaders will hold a public forum to discuss concerns Thursday at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.