DEQ-CFW_00078019

E'nvh'on morntal
Quality
June 8, 2017
Mr. Latif Kaid, P.E.
NC State Building Commission
1307 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1307
ROY COOPER
MICHAEL S, REGAN
RE: Emergency Declaration -'Temporary full breach of Woodlake Dam that was
damaged during Tropical Storms Julia and Hermine and Hurricane Matthew
Mr. bald;
Under the provisions of 01 North Carolina Administrative Code 30D.0302(e), the
Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) has issued an emergency declaration for
the Woodlake Dam in Moore Count), (Latitude 35.218, Longitude -79.19). In addition,
NCDEQ's Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (DEMLR) plans to exercise its
authority under NCGS §143-215.32i'c) and NCGS §143-64.31(a) to conduct a temporary full
breach of the dam due to its current deficiencies, which if left uncorrected, could result in a
failure causing loss of life and significant property damage downstrearn.
After Tropical Storms Julia and Hermine and Hurricane Matthew, DEMLR
inspections confirmed that damage had occurred to 68 dams in North Carolina. Of those 68
dams, 22 were breached and 46 were damaged and in need of repair. More than 400
inspections were conducted during a 16-day period by DEMLR staff. The Woodlake Dam is
one such dam and needs immediate action to abate the risk of loss of life and significant
property damage downstream. Until now, the owner of the dam has been attempting to
rectify the deficiencies, however DEMLR has received information that the owner of the
dam will be unable to meet the requirements set forth in the Consent judgement of
Woodlake Dam, State of ex. ReL Regan v. Woodlake CC Corp, (17 CATS 0082), issued by
Judge Webb on March 15, 2017.
In its current condition, with the reservoir being completely drained and both
bottom drains being fully open, 4.7S inches of rain in a 6-hour period could cause the
damaged concrete spillway to flow which could cause further damage to the spillway and
potentially breach the dam. In addition, 10.5 inches of rain in a 6-hour period could cause
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DEQ-CFW-00078019

Mr. Kaid
June 0, 2017
Page 2
the dam to completely overtop and therefore not only damage the spillway further, but also
potentially breach the darn either by overtopping or by complete destruction of the
spillway.
Independent breach analyses completed by North Carolina Darn Safety show that
there could potentially be 1670 parcels within the inundation area of the Woodlake Dam.
North Carolina Darn Safety used the 2014 county parcel data to estimate that the total
damage to property could be in excess of $260,497,483. The total value is based on parcel
data that may not have been updated lately and it should be noted that not all parcels had
values associated with them. In addytion, this value does not consider the value of
infrastructure that could be damaged such as highways, bridges, utility lines, water/septic
treatment facilities, churches, emergency services, businesses, or county, state and federal
property that has not been assessed by the tar office or the potential loss of life.
Under this declaration, the Department intends to expedite the procurement of
qualified darn engineers for the design and construction oversight for the temporary fall
breach of the damaged Woodlake Dam, Breaching the darn is a measure essential to
provide emergency protection to protect life and property downstream.
1 am making you mare of this course of action so that your staff can provide
guidance as you deem appropriate. If you have any additional questions, please contact Mr.
Michael Shelton, Capital Projects Coordinator, at [e-mail] or (919
707-8527,
Sincerely, t
Michael S. Megan
Secretary, NCDEQ
MSR/ted f bsc
Cc. John A. Nicholson, Deputy Secretary
Rex A. Whaley, CPS, Director, Financial Services
Tracy E. Davis, PE, CPM, Director, Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land. Resources
Brian Shame Coop, PE, LSIT, State Marra Safety Engineer, DEMLR
Tommy Kirby, CPIM, CPM, D_rector, Purchasing
Carolyn McClain, Esq., Attorney General's Office
John Payne, Esq., Attorney General's Office
Douglas Ansel, Esq., Office of General Counsel
DEQ-CFW 00078020