ARKABUTLA, Miss — The National Weather Service cancelled a flood watch for many counties in North Mississippi Tuesday after reduced water levels at the Arkabutla Lake in DeSoto County eased fears of a major dam failure.
The Arkabutla Lake has reached a low water threshold where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Emergency Management, and the National Weather Service in Memphis all agree the risk of the dam failing has decreased enough to allow the flood watch to be cancelled.
Engineers said in May while a failure wasn't urgent, the situation was serious enough that emergency repairs are needed.
Surrounding roads were blocked off, and nearby popular recreation areas were closed to the public while these repairs are completed.
If the dam did break, areas along the Coldwater River below the dam would flood. This would affect large parts of the Mississippi Delta, including the counties of Tunica, Tate, Coahoma, and Quitman.
Arkabutla Lake is known to respond quickly to short-term heavy
rainfall, the National Weather Service said. If and when conditions warrant, a new Flash Flood Watch and/or Warning will be considered for areas along the Coldwater River.
The Arkabutla Dam was built in 1943 and is a popular recreation area in DeSoto County.
