Erosion worsens at Rapidan Dam

New aerial video shows the increased erosion of soil near the Rapidan Dam after a partial failure this week.
Subscribe to FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul / @fox9
Watch FOX 9 Live: www.fox9.com/live
FOX 9 is your source for breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Minneapolis-St. Paul, the greater Twin Cities metro, Greater Minnesota, western Wisconsin and across the nation. FOX 9 is the Official Home of the Minnesota Vikings and proud partner of University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Athletics.
Download the FOX 9 News app: fox9.onelink.m...
Download the Weather app
Google Play: play.google.co...
App Store: apps.apple.com...
Follow FOX 9 on Facebook: / fox9kmsp
Follow FOX 9 on Twitter: / fox9
Follow FOX 9 on Instagram: / fox9
Subscribe to the FOX 9 newsletter: www.fox9.com/e...

[@c-qc-q2021]

When there's no more water going over the dam and it's all going around it, it's no longer a dam, it's a diversion.

[@kimjongun8731]

Damit

[@PowderMill]

They could not afford the maintenance and repairs required to keep it safe. No funds are allowed to be spent on United States infrastructure under the “Pederast-in-Chief’s administration. All tax dollars must be diverted straight to the Ukraine Warmongering bunch.

[@ThomasD66]

Spectator at best

[@anthonys7534]

Dam!

[@wallyman292]

Yep! When the dam is no longer a factor in the situation, then you're pretty safe in saying it failed!

[@frankblangeard8865]

The only thing that the dam is holding back now is 114 years of built up sediment.

[@nicotti]

As black as that water looks, I'm not sure it's even doing that any more.

[@notalenthere]

Yeah as the river is cutting down around the dam it will continue to lower lake level until almost no lake is left. In process it is releasing all the silt as well. It seems the dam gates do not extend deep enough to continue allowing water to flow through damn which means there hasn’t been silt removal previously (or there are lower gates but not able to lift).

[@terranbyte2619]

@@notalenthere doesn't seem like there are spillways on the lower portions of this dam, and considering its fairly old one too. I'd imagine the builders didn't think lower gates were needed, which is likely why it had also been considered for removal. Plus likely why they were struggling to keep water levels down before, and the log jam that occur shortly before the partial failure started was likely the nail in the coffin for this dam.

[@jonb9178]

It's all long washed away. The Media is missing this. It's a big mess

[@paccarcrap]

The old girl still stands or what the thing identifies as 😂😂😂

[@SanJose_Panda]

The power of water is absolutely insane!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Always underestimated, too.

[@j.p.4199]

God created water. Never doubt the power of God

[@feeblereptilian]

@@j.p.4199go back to school.

[@lutomson3496]

the power of fire is insane, those of us that have lost homes and lives to wildfires know at least there is warnings here

[@mplsmark222]

@@lutomson3496any loss is tragic and life altering, but to lose your house and the very land it was built on over 100 years ago is on another level.

[@arkwill14]

I think they can stop saying partial failure. When the width of the channel flowing _around_ your dam is nearly the same width of the dam itself - there is nothing "partial" about it. It's failed.

[@jgchalmers]

that's not how English works

[@JFlower7]

The ONLY reason they can say partially failed is because the river made it's own path. So in fact the dam, that was suppose to hold the river did indeed fail.

[@freedomrings1420]

The dam didn't fail , it's still there. The ground on one side failed. Big difference.

[@eTraxx]

Reading the comments makes me think politicians entered the fray

[@RedKnight-fn6jr]

The dam wall may look structurally intact, but it's completely irrelevant at this stage - the dam is no longer on the river!

[@allanvietmeier228]

removal of that dam is the only way to stop this erosion. The right angle force of the river is much greater then a straight flow and will continue to chew at the unprotected bank until the water flow diminishes or the flow is straightened out again.

[@chrisfoxwell4128]

Kind of a tough time to try to demolish a dam.

[@pampoovey3281]

@@chrisfoxwell4128 Bouncing Bettys

[@UtubeH8tr]

Thermite and semtex.

[@jonathanlanglois2742]

There's no stopping erosion. When you say "make the river channel straight", that's actually a mistake that we've been making for the last few centuries. By straightening rivers, we accelerate the flow, which increases the speed of flow, and its destructive potential. A natural river meanders which slows down the flow and allows sediments to be deposited. Even the very best erosion control structure that we humans can build eventually suffer the wrath of nature.

[@allanvietmeier228]

@@pampoovey3281 I understand that is difficult and I am not saying that they should do it but was simply adding this as context for the people that don't understand what is happening. As the water drops and picks up the sentiment in the front of the dam as it is starting to now it could become even more abrasive and chewing action could get worse. People assume as the flows diminish that the destruction should diminish as well but that will only be the case when the bottom of the river is the same on either side of the dam. that is 80 plus vertical feet the water has to chew through to reach that equilibrium.

[@Point_Particle]

Note to self: never build a home a couple hundred feet away from a dam...

[@g3user1usa]

Or that close to any river, in general. But people always want to get a good view of the river even if it ends up in their house. No thanks. I also don't think it's a good idea to buy a house in a flood plain area. Floodwater up to your rooftop can't be much fun. I'm happy to see some of those flood victims take the flooding so well. I'd be freaking out after losing everything I owned.

[@milwaukeeroadjim9253]

Or below one

[@phantomthiefjoker939]

Looks super dangerous being near to it.

[@bl8388]

@@g3user1usa Possibly family owned the land before the dam. And this is not a typical occurrence.

[@Comm0ut]

@@bl8388 It is however not necessary to live next to or below dams so I do not.

[@roberthoffhines5419]

After over a century of annoyance, ol' Blue Earth River just said: "eff that, I'll go over here"

[@mybirds2525]

It is a fact that nobody seems to realize. You can put a dam in a river and in 500 years the river will be as if no dam ever existed.

[@allanvietmeier228]

@@mybirds2525 As someone that lives on the Missouri river I can attest to the fact that managing the Mighty Mo is an impossibility. If the river wants it the river will have it. Removal of dams in a controlled manner should be the plan of the day since mother nature isn't as forgiving when she does it for them.

[@mybirds2525]

@@allanvietmeier228 I don't know that removal is in order but definitely the lakes must have silt removed. That is a massive chore

[@bl8388]

@@mybirds2525 I understood this before my 475th birthday.

[@ReallyMaxPayload]

Oh, the house has gone. Those poor people. I hope they're being supported.

[@sprengron]

They are, and will continue to be.

[@ReallyMaxPayload]

@@sprengron Good to hear. Thank you.

[@SirNic4180]

Or don't build a house near the water 😅

[@bruanlokisson8615]

Bad choices are oft rewarded.

[@K-Anne_]

@@sprengronFeel for them and the family, community of that store.

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

Damn. The dam store is on the menu. Tragic loss for the local community.

[@theboringchannel2027]

with no dam or road, that store is done because of the reduced traffic.

[@reeceharrison9986]

@@theboringchannel2027 There's a good chance the store will join the house in the river.

[@theboringchannel2027]

@@reeceharrison9986 yes, probably correct, which might be their best case scenario if they have insurance, because the business has already died going into the future.

[@sprengron]

@@theboringchannel2027 The road over the bridge will remain. The store has been there for fifty years and will continue to be successful -- if the building can survive. Local support for the dam store will be enormous once this crisis passes.

[@gordonanderson3111]

The Riverside Store formerly known as Dam.

[@daveh4832]

couldn't imagine working your life away to pay for a house that gets washed away

[@kc8639]

Insurance will probably dodge this one too. "You were not covered under the raging river clause."

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Luck is everything during terrestrial existence. Literally everything. On average, the majority of individuals will claim that their hard work led to X, Y, or Z, but all of them are deceived. Self-deceived. Fortune--good or bad--rules all. No exceptions.

[@teamidris]

All the decorating, upgrades, plumbing. You at least have your land normally to rebuild. That isn’t getting filled back in, it’s like a million tons.

[@bevmacdonald9008]

It's so heartbreaking. I hope they have good insurance. Unless you are 'squatting', have paid off your mortgage, or you are homeless, you are paying a mortgage: yours or someone else's.

[@Wee162]

And it looks like the homeowners have also lost their business, the restaurant.

[@JohnDoesItAll]

Sad to see the house gone but hopefully nature will spare the family store. So tragic 😢

[@josephpearlman4010]

If it does, their property value just went up, now that it's riverfront.

[@TimJBucci]

There's only going to be more weather anomalies with greenhouse gasses added to the gasses already tossed into the air naturally. Plus all of the chemtrails they spew into the skies for weather modification isn't helping.

[@timb7775]

There's no way that store is safe to go in ever again. It will be demolished.

[@darlenegillmore6116]

Looks like if this keeps up not much hope for the family restaurant. So sad. I live close to the Lake Of The Ozark in Mo and have always wonder what would happen if that damn breached. The corp of engineers run the turbines when it gets close to the 660 ft and it floods all the way to the Missouri and then flows into the Mississippi and it floods too. Pray to God that damn never breaches.

[@sprintcarsandguitars959]

from the rate that earth is falling into the sides,wont be but a few days now.

[@florencedahl3617]

What a view from the air 😮

[@drewmurray2583]

awww that house is gone......

[@connieellerbe-maycock7115]

Yeah it fell in last night.

[@suehowie152]

😢

[@tuvelat7302]

I hope they had a chance to get some things.

[@larrygaal4808]

@@connieellerbe-maycock7115 ANY VIDEO OF IT FALLING IN?

[@stratussol2475]

Yeah I think there is a video of it falling in

[@paca_bill4863]

Interesting to see the different layers of rock and dirt at 0:30. Amazing to see they installed the posts for the mail box stand 3-4' in the ground - the installation crew didn't cut corners there. And I'm surprised to see how extensive the root systems are from all of the trees.

[@Tomcat71]

millions of years of deposits washed down the river and the samples are seeing sunlight for the first time in millions of years . earth is crazy .

[@plmn93]

Frost line is at 3.5', gotta dig below that.

[@crabbyhayes1076]

@@plmn93 Cold winters in Minnesota!

[@choppermike3329]

@@plmn93 For a mailbox post? Uh...No.

[@plmn93]

@@choppermike3329 Uh, yes. Mailbox posts, fence posts, basketball poles, foundations, basically anything you don't want to have heave in the clay soil in that area.

[@elliottsmith3632]

A river can be enjoyed but when it wants to move, there is nothing you can do to stop it. you may be able to control for a time, but it will do what it wants. Looking at Google maps, looks like the river has chewed up about 200 feet of dry land.

[@nicotti]

Engineer said in the press conference tuesday that they were worried about the silt stuck behind the dam moving downstream. As black as that water is and how far upstream those standing waves go (1:57), I'd say they have every reason to be worried.

[@queenofspadz]

What's the signifigance of silt buildup behind the concrete structure that was the dam? Not sure how fast or feasible but could they not start dismangting the dam structure in efforts to save the store?

[@amyself6678]

MN lowlands are mostly ignored, it's the higher flat farmland that makes the money. I'd guess some more sand banks will appear below Mankato but overall this dam failure won't affect much. I lived in New Ulm and you'd not notice it had a river nearby. I wonder if St Paul channel might silt up, but that's 100 miles away so not likely..

[@nicotti]

@@queenofspadz Ecological disaster downstream from the silt burying stuff and possibly undermining the support pillars for the highway bridge, are the two things the county engineer mentioned. If the erosion continues at the same rate as yesterday, the store'll fall in some time today/tonight. Can't dismantle the dam that quick.

[@BradHouser]

@@queenofspadz The silt clogs up the downstream parts of the river impacting the environment, killing off plants and fish. The faster the release of silt, the worse the impact. The store is expendable. Nothing they can do will help the store except to pray. They cannot attempt to do anything about repairing until the water flow drops way down and they can remove the debris from the dam. Only then can they think about filling in the eroded area.

[@BradHouser]

@@nicotti No way they would dismantle the dam to save the store.

[@trmentry]

might as well remove the damn completely at this point.

[@Summerbreeze537]

No

[@simpinainteasyRHEC]

Soooo... keep it as a water monument? Lol

[@thehillbillyhilton3557]

​​@@Summerbreeze537why? What purpose is serving? What purpose did it serve besides creating a lake?

[@aphextwin5712]

@@thehillbillyhilton3557Wouldn’t your logic apply to any and all dams?

[@thehillbillyhilton3557]

@@aphextwin5712 for the most part but that dam is fubared

[@patrickrabion9473]

Dam, what dam?? The dam is pretty much useless now.

[@seseLsan]

Unacceptable, even though this is reality

[@2DSTORMS]

Lake Delhi Dam failure in Iowa, took YEARS to fix

[@jerryolson3408]

The Dam built in 1905 Has survived intact even including the power house. The failure is due to a lack of attention to the downstream left embankment. This structure can be repaired an last another 120 years.

[@HEAVENBOUND267]

​@@jerryolson3408agreed 👍

[@toddwilliams5905]

It has been water in water out since 2019. Full of silt. That is the black you see now.

[@BryanLebel-gm4jd]

Watch out downstream. The entire lake bed is about to drain and very rapidly. The foundation of the bridge is also at risk. Look at the current around the bridge posts or support's. The whole bridge could collapse

[@sprengron]

If the dam had totally failed it would have resulted in a two foot surge in nearby Mankato, not a dramatic increase. The river has been flowing like this for days. Most of the "reservoir" behind the dam is actually silt.

[@nicotti]

@@sprengron Agreed. Unfortunately the massive downstream release of that captured silt, that the engineers hoped wouldn't happen, is currently happening. :(

[@7phyton]

Perfect! Saves on demolition costs, which would be inevitable otherwise.

[@senoje]

Wow, look at all that beautiful green land and trees... If all of us could be so fortunate to live like this without the floods, it would be good.

[@tracydean3678]

I agree. It is beautiful country though.

[@seriejohnson698]

Gorgeous.

[@au_barb]

It's really a beautiful area.

[@Comm0ut]

There is plenty of OTHER land not on river banks. People tend to forget that when choosing where to build. No one is forced to live there and everyone in the region (except a few centanarians in nursing homes) had a lifetime to plan their location wisely so most of them did.

[@bradley-eblesisor]

Those poor, poor people. My heart goes out to everyone affected. 🙏🏻

[@OrionsKelt]

Absolutely magnificent topsoil

[@tstahler5420]

We're going to need a bigger dam!

[@Canaris_Kiss]

How about you find a different way to generate hydro power. In the 6000 year history of China, Dams always fail and reap the destruction of Empire.

[@starguy2718]

Chief Brody to Captain Quint.

[@FFL61750]

They need to vote in competent politicians who hire competent engineers who both do THEIR JOB. Unfortunately the public never learns and votes in the same 🤡 all the time. Michigan has gone through the same BS and then the people get stuck with the bill as usual. Penny wise and dollar foolish as they say.

[@MrSTINGRAYJ2008]

​@@FFL61750I think you are right

[@Comm0ut]

There is no reason to have a dam there. That one hasn't made hydropower since the 1960s. People used to build dams with little thought for future consequences. That dam served its purpose and replacing it would not benefit the taxpayers footing the bill.

[@ronnie32567]

Damn that whole house is gone!!!! It was hanging in there like a hair in a biscuit, I thought it would make it !!!!!!

[@ronnie32567]

Well for your information, just upriver from the house the bank jutted out a little bit and that was turning the water back into the stream bed somewhat protecting the bank under the house. Might want to sharpen your powers of observation just a tad before you run off at the mouth

[@ronnie32567]

@@elizabethchase6528well no S, but it had lasted for a couple days and the officials said the river had peaked so I was hopeful the the projection would hold out. But apparently I was wrong,. Anyone can be wrong every now and then, heck I was wrong one time a number of years ago

[@ronnie32567]

@@elizabethchase6528now it would be kind of you to admit that my reasoning for being hopeful for the house to hold had merit

[@gordonanderson3111]

The reason this dam was built with two wood covered spillways on the right side was that they could be blasted open to prevent this from happening on the left side. But those were covered over with cement long ago, and it would have still been possible but no one thought of grabbing some dynamite and opening them up - would have prevented this.

[@aphextwin5712]

All the tree trunks piled up at the dam are part of the problem. There are examples of structures to filter out large pieces of wood further upstream of choke points like dams. But with a lake, that would likely need to happen upstream from the lake itself.

[@giclat1098]

I don't know much about this sort of thing but from the start I've been wondering if either using fire of explosives to break the logjam would help. Such a lovely area and sorry to see the house gone! It held on valiantly!

[@gordonanderson3111]

It does sound strange by today's standards yet many construction sites, miners, loggers and even famers used to have a few cases of dynamite in their sheds (store detonators seperatly at all times folks) and blowing out the log jam and one or two of the gates would have saved the shoreline and buildings: While this dam will have to be taken out now anyway.

[@cameracamera1319]

Mailbox. Store. Garden. Holy smokes getting even worse. So sad.

[@queenofspadz]

RIP tomato plants

[@y0nd3r]

@@queenofspadz those are white balls of some kind that fell down the cliff at 1:26. Idk what they are, but I didn't see tomatoes.

[@vashlotus1891]

The trees are literally holding on for life which is helping save the building from collapsing sooner. This dam is fubar.

[@theboringchannel2027]

dam is standing fine, the embankment is fubar.

[@localbod]

Fubar must be a technical term now. 😅

[@tigrehermano]

yeah but the property owners seem to have removed most of the tree strip on the margin on the river to build a house just a a few meters away from the river. everyone else built far enough and kept the tree strip.

[@theboringchannel2027]

@@tigrehermano the clearing of trees likely happened 100 years ago when they were contructing the dam and needed access to the area for equipment and supplies. House and has fallen into the river, and the store was demolished by the state to keep it from falling into the river.

[@tigrehermano]

@@theboringchannel2027 nope, it was just the property, you can look it up on maps quickly, search for "rapidan the dam cafe"

[@chrismoua6079]

That's insane, hope the community recovers safely and quickly.

[@KayJones-j2l]

I was so sad to see that house go and my hopes are for the dam store

[@Shawn_RHVAC]

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! THE POWER OF WATER!!!!

[@zetsumeinaito]

1:16 - 1:26 "My Cabbages!"

[@CMDROldDuck]

Video is fascinating from a geological and even ecological perspective.

[@wayneisanamerican]

actually, the dam didn't fail, the surrounding bank did, amazing they didn't plan for some auxiliary spillway and or rain storms.

[@nvs4u2]

The dam DIDN’T fail. It HELD!! The river merely went around it and created a new course.

[@januarysdaughter6664]

THE GARDEN! These folks have been through too much. First their house and now the garden and possibly the store! My heart goes out to you. I've had losses like this. You will be ok as long as you still have each other! ❤❤❤ ❤❤❤

[@faithhupy4983]

Actually the dam is doing quite well

[@cerberus1166]

my heart is broken for the family who im guessings childhood home has been washed away by now. i couldnt imagine how id feel.

[@RealCult]

I’m thankful for the time I spent smoking blunts on this bridge. It’s a true Mankato Gem everyone loves. ❤ proud of the dam holding up under this amount of pressure. One of the greatest dams ever built. First hydroelectric dam built actually. This is historical.

[@DrHarryT]

Nature finds a way.

[@F-zi2ui]

And other times: Nature makes the way

[@ExploringAI42]

I really thought the erosion was slowing down yesterday and was hoping that house was going to make it.... Hopefully the store makes it.

[@GWAYGWAY1]

They have lost the house I hope the caffe doesn’t get it as well😢.

[@mikesmechanical1102]

The partial failure has now been upgraded to a major partial failure. Soon it may be categorised as a total partial failure.

[@williamtomkiel8215]

great looking video- the colors and even worse > the color of the water!

[@MrMojo271]

It’s a mostly peaceful flood, though

[@starguy2718]

😄😄😄😄

[@gabrielramirez7471]

"Welcome to Rapidan DAM. I am your DAM guide. Please feel free to take all the DAM pictures you want. Now are there any DAM questions!"

[@TasDAmour]

"Yeah, I just have a question, um.... is this a God dam?"

[@adammurdoch1708]

this should make decommissioning the dam structure easier as getting rid of sediment buildup is a headache the failure has done it for them

[@exploreraa983]

I hope those poor people that own that neat little coffee shop had business insurance. they seem like wonderful people.

[@crysgamb2818]

This is absolutely unreal. I've never seen anything like it!!WOW!

[@DenisLefebvre-u1x]

Lack of maintenance, poor planning from proprietors, no disaster emergency plan can only cause these accidents

[@virgilhilts3924]

None of those things had anything to with this. Timber along the river was washed away by the severe storm & flooding which clogged the gates. It happened so quickly that they didnt have time to clear the obstructions

[@HappyHarryHardon]

This is a spillway failure not a dam failure. The dam and its abutments are still there. This is a classic overtopping, not a dam failure.

[@jonathanbuyno9461]

Ok bro

[@BradHouser]

What Spillway? I don't see one in the "before" pictures. It appears the designers thought it would be OK to let it overtop the concrete part. The ground didn't agree.

[@HappyHarryHardon]

@@BradHouser the spill was was a tiny opening outside of the west abutment and the concrete that is seen in the before photos is “the spillway” that was poured over the bedrock channeling the overspill back into the river. Once the concrete on the bedrock washed away the water took the path of least resistance which was not the bedrock. The soil began to wash away farther west taking pressure off the dam.

[@stevemiller6923]

@@HappyHarryHardon Good luck on trying to bring reality into a youtube discussion.

[@WinthropWarriors]

Love all the comments saying "THE DAM DIDN'T FAIL!. Like it's not even a dam anymore. The river has found a new course. At this point it's just a jetty sticking out into the river.

[@johneken2056]

Amazing that a state government seems helpless.

[@frostyhkd]

…what did you want them to do?

[@mikeprice4103]

If you have some info on how to control nature call a state government

[@Rebirth602]

Lol, just get here or what?

[@stevemiller6923]

Yes. If the state government had only taken some action to prevent so much rain, this never would have happened.

[@glennterry5476]

Man I hope nobody got hurt. Sorry to see that happening.

[@1954crc]

I'm amazed at the speed of the erosion of the banks.

[@cgeorge6591]

Looking at the strata, you can see how water can make a canyon in a relatively short period of time.

[@WayneMacLean-lj8lb]

Looks like it is down to the bedrock which is a good thing as long as the water does not rise above it. Which hopefully it won't do the people who lost the home will not lose the business store also. As bad as it is compared to what the people were used to living around there. Once the dam is fixed it will be a very nice looking area even before the dam let go.

[@daveh4832]

Funny the amount of people saying they wouldn't put a house so close to the old dam.... They didn't build the house yesterday it's probably been as long as the dam

[@starshine3588]

If this river had never been dammed then this wouldn’t have happened. If you look at the land before the dam it is not eroding the land because the river was allowed to flow naturally….but once the river reached the dam it had to carve a new path out around the dam because the dam wouldn’t let the river flow naturally. Rivers are also more prone to flooding when they can’t flow naturally….the dam causes the water to build up and rise higher and higher if it doesn’t let it through faster.

[@tetchuma]

Remind me again how deregulation of environmental protections, along with privatization of infrastructure projects… is a good thing???

[@virgilhilts3924]

None of that had anything to do with this. Timber along the river was washed away by the severe storm & flooding which clogged the gates. It happened so quickly that they didnt have time to clear the obstructions before the river rose and bypassed the dam.

[@stardel]

Such a beautiful landscape!! Owell, for some a good thing must come to an end.

[@marion4827]

Pure people there. Hope eveyone is safe.

[@josie291662]

That poor house that once was. Hoping it doesn't carve into the next home. 😢 my prayers go out to them.

[@KAzik10001]

Build back better update.

[@Christ_Our_Life]

Thanks for the coverage!

[@charliewaters5289]

Why are you calling it a dam failure? The dam is the only thing still there!

[@jasonfrancis1736]

?.........

[@markusgorelli5278]

Comments say that since the river appears to have cut its own channel completely, that the dam isn't doing anything as far as its purpose is concerned which is to hold back the water.

[@jerryolson3408]

The Dam built in 1905 Has survived intact even including the power house. The failure is due to a lack of attention to the downstream left embankment. This structure can be repaired an last another 120 years.

[@duaneayers6117]

The river is looking for the septic tank.

[@duotronic6451]

Good. That dam should have been removed 20 years ago. 😢😢😢

[@24_7_Truth]

😢 so devastating. Its definitely safe to say we have a total failure of the dam as well as total loss. 💔

[@joek511]

So how fast did the Grand Canyon form?

[@james_robnett]

10s of millions of years, go out side with a shovel, let me know which is harder to dig through, top soil or bedrock. I'll wait.

[@bengaltiger96]

Fun fact: the store in danger of following the house into the river is called “The Dam Store.”

[@arribaficationwineho32]

The white and red coloring of washed out bank is gorgeous

[@Pilvenuga]

Engineer: "Hah, we've done it! We control the river now!" Some Hobo passing by with a shopping cart: "Man, nature always finds a way."

[@CPcamaro]

Quite a bummer for the folks whose home no longer exists.

[@rickkern5785]

Classic government neglect. This dam should have been removed years ago. Multiple reports over several years.

[@silverfoxx4012]

this is why Bruce Lee said "Be like water" cause its power and flow are unstoppable

[@ronnieroads1253]

its the goverment fault not takeing care of the dam sooner hope the people sue them over this but you get what you vote for!!!

[@lazynow1]

dillholes in the gov.

[@thonatim5321]

This is why dams are not a good idea long term.

[@Concerned_Citizen111]

Every now and then Mother Nature reminds us who’s in charge.

[@MR-xc3sw]

The dam didn't fail the operators failed the dam . Removing debris is top priority at every dam on the planet. If all dam operators were this incompetent there wouldn't be a dam standing anywhere.

[@justicetrufaux6722]

Looks like the dam is holding up beautifully! The river bank however…

[@scotabot7826]

Amazing looking layers of soil/ earth. So cool. Would be so wild to see a couple kayakers come through hooting and hollering. Lol.....

[@nnonotnow]

That shows the amazing amount of rain 🌧️ ☔ that fell upstream.

[@tracydean3678]

Absolutely furious water! Sorry to see they lost their home.

[@dannyb2783]

Dang. I really didnt think it would get that close to the Dam Store.

[@eanders7992]

Partial failure? You mean complete failure as the river has made a new channel to the left of the dam....

[@lf4061]

My concern is that without the dam, where is all that sudden extra water going and what other residences and possibly towns is it effecting down stream?!

[@GodsSparrowSpeaks]

Does anyone know if that is a Veterans Memorial that is falling into the river?

[@phantomthiefjoker939]

Holy Moly, look at that!!!!!!!

[@nps-ddpsavinglives]

It's no longer a dam,... It's a bypass... I feel for all of those work in affected by this tragedy..

[@BulletSpoung]

You can see how much the water level has gone down by looking at the bridge, much lower.

[@user-ts1fp4nm9y]

Where is the water going???? What is going on down stream???

[@anibed8307]

Why is the water so dark?

[@chrishouston5401]

Holy crap. I wonder if it could erode all the way back to the upriver 'close point', which would essentially re-route the river and cut off an oxbow.

[@kategarcia4301]

Makes your heart ache for everyone.😢

[@justinrasmuson]

This is completely the fault of whoever is in charge of the dam. Don’t let anyone think it’s totally because of the rain. What does anyone think will happen when the dam is essentially shut off?

[@joellenrhodes456]

Can someone from the area answer is the an active working dam or one that was abandoned? Why is there no crane removing the debris?

[@frankangermann6460]

At least the sediments get washed out of the reservoir…..🤷🏽‍♂️

[@marknicolich5789]

If you go look at pictures and see what the normal flow is for this river it's amazing how much more water is currently moving through it

[@seriejohnson698]

Beautiful green landscape.