Storm not a threat to Martis Dam

The Army Corps of Engineers announced Wednesday that the Martis Creek Dam poses no current danger to downstream communities.

“This last storm had little impact on the dam because most of the precipitation fell as snow rather than rain,” said Veronica Petrovsky, a senior project manager with the Corps. “Consequently, there was very little increase in the depth of water behind the dam, so there is very little pressure on the dam and little or no danger to nearby residents due to flooding,” she added.

In addition to maintaining a shallow reservoir behind the dam, the Corps also receives hourly readings on the amount of water in the reservoir from automated data collection equipment.

“We will maintain constant vigilance,” Petrovsky added. “If we see any problems we will immediately dispatch a team of geotechnical engineers to the dam site and notify the community and emergency responders.”

The Martis Creek Dam has been classified as “critical” by the Corps of Engineers because of seepage problems. The Corps is currently conducting an investigation of the dam, with the goal of possible future solutions to the dam’s problems.