Problems with Lakewood Acres Dam

Lakewood Acres Dam was an earthen embankment dam, constructed sometime in 1967 or 1968, near the Town of China Grove, Rowan County, North Carolina. The dam measured approximately twenty-five feet in height with a reservoir area of approximately three acres. The impoundment capacity was+/-30 acre-feet, filled by a small stream and a drainage area of+/-320 acres.
The dam was classified as a "High Hazard" structure due to Interstate 85 being located approximately 130 feet downstream of the dam. There was also a gravel road on the crest of the dam that served as the only access to several homes.
The dam was constructed from "Waste" soil by the contractor doing construction work on I-85. A 15 inch corrugated metal pipe (CMP} was placed in the creek channel, without water tight bands, and then soil dumped and pushed over the pipe. A 15 inch CMP was then added to the inlet as a riser pipe for the reservoir. Sometime later, a 15 inch concrete and plastic pipe culvert was added across the dam, near the center of the crest, to act as an emergency spillway.