For Immediate Release:
May 22, 2020
Contact: Dave Connolly
910.251.4626
Philpott Dam Spillway Event
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Early this morning, due to the heavy rainfall over Philpott Lake watershed, the pool of the lake has filled past the crest elevation of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintained/operated spillway of Philpott Dam for the first time in history.
The dam is doing what it was built to do, and there is no danger of dam failure. The flow over the spillway combined with the controlled releases are not expected to have any downstream impacts. No additional pool rise is expected and the spill will gradually diminish throughout the day. However, in an abundance of caution, USACE has sent engineers to Philpott Dam to take further instrument readings and real time observations during this record event.
This historical event proves how hard our staff works to ensure that Philpott Dam is functional, strong, and the protector it was designed to be. We are proud of everyone at USACE who continues to serve and keep others safe even in the toughest of times.
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U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS –WILMINGTON DISTRICT
69 DARLINGTON AVE, WILMINGTON, N.C. 28403
WWW.SAW.USACE.ARMY.MIL
Release no. 20-007