The Flood of 1994: Damage and Repairs to the Flint River Dam

Tropical storm Alberto dropped record amounts of rainfall on southwest Georgia in the first week of July 1994. The resulting flows in the Flint River exceeded the flood of record and approached the 500 year flood. Georgia Power Company's Flint River Dam was overtopped for several days. The earth embankment sustained heavy damage during this period. In order to rebuild the dike before winter rains, the FERC expedited their review and approval process of the repairs designed by Southern Company Services Engineering. Earthwork repairs began in October 1994 and were completed in January 1995. The reservoir was refilled in March of 1995. The observations of the damage to the Flint River Project earth dike provide graphic illustrations of the efficacy of grassing as an erosion control cover in severe conditions. 10 pp., 5 references.