Arkabutla Dam repairs underway, but money still a question
After identifying potential breach conditions near Arkabutla Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lowered water levels before it could initiate emergency repairs. (Courtesy Bill Snapp/Memphis District Corps of Engineers)
Crews have completed another significant portion of the Arkabutla Dam repairs, but future money remains an open question for the rest of the project that could continue for at least the next seven years.
Col. Jeremiah Gipson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed in an interview this week that grouting has been completed in the dam’s outlet works, which control and release water.
The grouting work is Phase 2 of long-term repair efforts to the dam, which began in May 2023. The USACE discovered a sinkhole near the toe of the dam that year where the structure meets the earth. If left unaddressed, that could have led to a full breach.
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Arkabutla Dam U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sinkhole Jeremiah Gipson DeSoto County Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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