The Woodlake Communities Dam is being rebuilt after damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. As part of that rebuild a Cofferdam or temporary earthen dam was constructed to keep water away for the dam under construction and allow for a dry place for the construction work to take place.
As engineers, contractors and state officials monitored the path of Hurricane Debby earlier this week it was determined that it was better to have a controlled release of the cofferdam instead of a possible dam failure. On Tuesday the crews conducted a planned breach of the cofferdam to allow for a more controlled release of water from the Little River and Crains Creek River Basins.
It was reported that the new dam was eroding earlier today however, that does not seem to be the case. There is erosion from cofferdam but that was to be expected from an earthen dam with a significate amount of rain fall.
All efforts are being made to keep citizens downstream informed and safe. A voluntary evacuation notice is in place for much of the area downstream.
Also, as a result of heavy rains much of the Woodlake Community is also flooded with water flowing across roadways and in and around houses.