Amid heavy rainfall in southern Illinois, Nashville dam system breached;
hundreds evacuated
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[July 17, 2024]
MOLLY PARKER
& BETH HUNDSDORFER
Capitol News Illinois
news@capitolnewsillinois.com
Two days of heavy rainfall caused water to overflow and breach the dams
of Nashville's city reservoir on Tuesday, resulting in extensive
flooding and the evacuation of about 200 people from their homes in the
small southern Illinois town of about 3,000 residents.
Initially described as a dam failure by local officials, spokespeople
for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Washington
County Emergency Management Agency later clarified that the dam system
operated “as designed” for flooding scenarios.
The 90-year-old city reservoir, which provides Nashville’s drinking
water, includes a main dam with a spillway and a secondary earthworks
dam. The design allows water to breach the secondary dam, diverting
overflow to protect the main dam, said Alex Haglund, a spokesperson for
the Washington County Emergency Management Agency. The “fuse plug”
spillway that activates during high water levels directs water along a
designated emergency path, IDNR added.
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First responders oversaw the evacuation of residents from this
designated pathway without incident; as of Tuesday afternoon, there had
been no reported injuries from the breach of the dams, Haglund said.
Everyone was able to leave their homes unassisted except for one woman
who was rescued by first responders. Home damage, however, appeared to
be extensive in the pathway and in some adjacent neighborhoods, with
some residents reporting waist-high water in their homes, Haglund said.
Photos posted to Facebook by residents also showed flooded yards and
partially submerged cars.
Haglund said it was unclear when residents would be able to return to
their homes. The Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced.
Several roadways in and around Nashville were closed, though most of
those closures were attributed to flash flooding from the heavy rainfall
unrelated to the breach of the dams, Haglund said. He stressed that
people should stay off the roads because it can be hard to assess the
water's depth.
Interstate 64 between Okawville and Richview remained closed late
Tuesday afternoon, as well as state routes in and around Washington and
St. Clair counties.
Haglund said first responders from neighboring communities and the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency assisted the town after the
emergency plan was initiated on Tuesday morning. As the flooding made
headlines across the country, including reports in CNN and the New York
Times, Haglund said the office also received calls expressing concern
and support from state and federal officials, including a representative
of the White House.
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The Washington County Emergency Management Agency issued an alert to
about 200 residents in and around Nashville to evacuate on Tuesday
as floodwater overtopped the city's reservoir and spilled into parts
of the town. (Image provided)
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Haglund said the calls were appreciated, though Nashville has faced
this issue before. The dams were similarly breached in 2022.
Long-term strategies to mitigate reservoir flooding remain
uncertain, with Illinois House Rep. Charlie Meier, who represents
the region, saying in an interview with a St. Louis-based TV news
station on Tuesday that changes may be needed to better handle heavy
rainfall.
The IDNR's Office of Water Resources oversees nearly 2,000 public
and privately owned dams in Illinois through its Division of Dam
Safety, including approximately 250 categorized as “high-hazard
potential” like the Nashville reservoir’s, according to a 2023
report by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.
High-hazard potential dams are those whose failure could cause loss
of life and significant property damage; they are required to
undergo regular state inspections. Jayette Bolinski, IDNR
spokesperson, said the dam system underwent its last inspection in
November 2023, with no significant concerns found.
Flooding issues were widespread throughout the southwest region of
the state.
In neighboring St. Clair County, county board chair Mark Kern
declared the county a disaster area around noon on Tuesday after a
phone call with Gov. JB Pritzker, according to St. Clair County
Emergency Management Director Herb Simmons.
The disaster proclamation allows more access to help from state and
federal agencies, Simmons said. St. Clair Emergency Management was
awaiting pumps from the Illinois Department of Transportation late
Tuesday afternoon.
More than 30 homes were evacuated in Cahokia Heights and East St.
Louis on Tuesday. There have been several water rescues after
drivers got stuck in water-covered roadways, Simmons said.
In Belleville, high waters forced the evacuation of the St. Clair
County Animal Control. Workers carried or guided the cats and dogs
housed there through waist-high water to evacuate the animals. Dogs
were transferred to Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis and St.
Clair County Humane Society.
All the animals were rescued, including 21 cats and 40 dogs.
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