Another crack on Berkeley Lake dam
Engineers have discovered another crack on the Berkeley Lake dam, one that is four times the size of the original slope failure.
Officials found the 120-plus-foot-long tension crack Monday on the dam at North Berkeley Lake Road. It is higher and to the right of the original 32-foot-long crack, which was discovered after September's deluge, city engineer Rich Edinger said.
Edinger believes the crack came about because the internal drain system sustained damage in the flood, and it is unable to collect water and pipe it away.
The damage doesn't change the city-estimated $4 million in repairs, he said, but he is hopeful the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pick up more of the cost.
For weeks, Berkeley Lake and FEMA have locked horns over the extent of damage caused by the 500-year storm. Recently, FEMA agreed to chip in more on repairs, amounting to about $1 million. The city said that's still not enough and is expected to appeal FEMA's decision.
City and state officials maintain the damage doesn't pose a threat to the dozen or so homes downstream of the dam. Still, at the urging of the Safe Dams Program, the city in September lowered the 88-acre lake 10 feet to reduce pressure on the dam. The city isn't being asked to reduce the lake further, Edinger said.
