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Highway HH Closed Below the Dam

The Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District warns people living below Clearwater Lake that the lake level will continue to rise to an elevation which will exceed the top of the overflow spillway and will result in larger releases from the lake.
This morning the lake was at elevation 566 with 98 percent of the flood storage capacity in use. Based on the 9 inches of rain that fell during the weekend, the lake is expected to crest at about elevation 571 on May 3.  The top of the overflow spillway is elevation 566.7.
Missouri Highway HH has been closed below the spillway because flows will inundate the highway below the dam.
Once the flood storage capacity is filled, the dam will continue to hold the water currently stored in the lake, however, water still entering the lake will flow across the overflow spillway.
At this point the dam is passing inflow and can no longer provide the flood protection that it does during normal circumstances. River flows would be as they were in their natural state before the dam was built until the lake level returns below the rim of the overflow spillway.
As Clearwater nears its water storage capacity, people should decide beforehand whether to move livestock, equipment and belongings to higher ground.  The closer to the dam you are, the faster river stages can rise.  Large releases can occur during heavy rain with no more than an hour or two notice, and rapidly changing conditions could create even shorter notice.
As the situation develops with the rising water, people in at-risk areas, including areas not normally affected by a dam release, should stay in contact with local emergency officials.  Warnings will go out through local emergency channels.  Local officials may not know you require notification unless you have told them so.
Army Corps of Engineers personnel are monitoring lake levels and maintaining 24-hour surveillance, and the dam is sound. Personnel from the Corps’ Clearwater Lake Project Office are staying in contact with state and local officials to coordinate public safety information.
Daily lake information can be obtained at www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil or the Corps’ mobile App which can be found in mobile App stores by searching for USACE Little Rock.

4 Comments

  1. Stephanie on October 24, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    I would LOVE to know when HH will be back up? It has been out for months!

  2. Alexis on May 1, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    Please don’t open up the danm…

    • Rickey on May 1, 2017 at 11:41 pm

      umm… the dam is always open. if not it would back up and flow over the overflow secondary dam lol

    • Rhonda on May 2, 2017 at 9:20 am

      The dam is always open and unfortunately is has flooded to the point it has gone over the overflow spill which they cannot control.

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