Rapidan Dam partial failure: Status update from officials

Blue Earth County leaders provided an update on Tuesday after a partial failure of the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota.
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.me/sFfg?pid=soci...
Download the Weather app
Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
App Store: apps.apple.com/us/app/fox-9-w...
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/email

[@blancolirio]

Excellent detailed briefing and timeline of events. Refreshing transparency from public officials.

[@uberdang830]

Hey. Love your channel.

[@braddaruler]

Wtf . I watch your channel. Probably never again. The guy lied about not getting an excavator on time. He had 10 days' notice. They knew they were over capacity a week before. Why would you not see this guy lying through his teeth?

[@persistentwind]

​@braddaruler sounds like the contractor didn't want to risk their equipment. Compared to orroville this briefing was more detailed and comprehensive then any brief california gave. No issues w Juan's comment from my view.

[@813Aviation]

Hey Juan! Enjoy your channel! What I took away from this is that this the back side of this damn is so full of sediment from it's long life, is that it has become more of a waterfall than a damn basically? They're only worried about what damage the release of the sediment would cause to down stream structures if the damn itself failed. There would be no significant increase in water flow as they stated. I grew up not very far from here in extreme northern Iowa. Small cities, small towns, farming communities.They don't play up to the hype that you get in major markets. Great people, great place to raise a family. Most everyone you know would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Edit. p.s. I feel like my Dad took us here when I was a very young child. The name rings a bell in my head, but I don't have any distinct memory of it. I know we went to Mankato quite a few times.

[@davearnold9328]

Agree 1000% percent with you, Juan. I was impressed with this small town county. I don't believe I've ever seen a more truthful and thorough presser.

[@markanderson8677]

Blue Earth County should be proud to have such a competent County Engineer/DPW. Well done Ryan!

[@jimmyjones2896]

If he or anyone else in that county were competent this would never have happened. They couldnhave done many things to keep this from escalating the way it did. He's making excuses for inaction

[@jwfinley7808]

​@@jimmyjones2896It's not his fault if things went his way it wouldn't of happened!!

[@jwfinley7808]

Chain saws and short pants!!

[@jwfinley7808]

This whole Country is out of controll!!

[@truthseek3017]

REMOVE THE DAM, YOU DONT MESS UP NATURE.

[@nvs4u2]

That 100 year old dam is holding up and working hard to survive. To be clear, the dam didn’t fail, she holds. She made that water go find another way around.

[@David-sx4hp]

The dam was built well. There is no way it is going to fail. The local dpw or whoever is in charge failed. They could have figured out a way to remove all those trees even in thr last 2 days. Too lazy or overly cautious.

[@rdallas81]

That dam damn, damnit...

[@bluegold21]

@@David-sx4hp I bet they were asking for too high a fee.

[@Comm0ut]

Since when is dead concrete gendered? It is not sentient. It's a mere object.

[@Comm0ut]

@@David-sx4hp "There is no way it is going to fail. " What is your civil engineering background? Hearing from experts is useful. BTW removal was considered in 1972.

[@TrunkyDunks]

As a Building Inspector and Engineering Inspector....People like this guy are who I deal with daily. One great engineer is worth 100 good ones. Its people like this that write the international building codes and LOVE all aspects of engineering. Great to see.

[@suzyj.3389]

We need many more Explaining that we cannot help the illegals coming in. The infrastructures are nit built withstand the water sewage etc. Help Americans and these victims instead of giving to illegals. Who should not even be here these flood victims built MN they should get help first!!

[@user-hx6kx1mk3l]

This guy is alright. He knows his job. I hope his employer understands his important skills to help his town.

[@EattheApple666]

Thanks Mom. LOL

[@drover338]

​@@EattheApple666And there we go. A dope smoking, pride pronoun know it all with student debt for a worthless degree in projecting the radius of falling acorns from a tree.

[@VoodooDangerbird]

All your base are belong to us.🤖

[@jimmyjones2896]

If that were even remotely true then he would have done something before it became an emergency...politicians and bureaucrats

[@dannybell926]

​@@jimmyjones2896 done what? An emergency anti rain dance😂😂😂😂

[@mustardseed308]

Re Rapidan Dam partial failure: Outstanding Press Conference. Informative, intelligent, knowledgeable explanations. Makes me feel relief and proud that Michigan is now doing extensive studies on our damn infrastructures. Brilliant job Ryan Thilges.

[@dataplatter]

Ryan, great job, giving meaningful answers, straight talk, not a lot of fluff … you handled the press pressure very well.

[@jaydee975]

So nice to hear the birds singing and the relaxing sounds of the river in the background even though the river is a raging mess right now. Minneopa Falls was beautiful this weekend despite the flooding at the park.

[@troypeterson5536]

That engineer is Calm, Cool, and Collected.

[@timothystevenhoward]

Being a PE and a hydraulic engineer, this hits close to home. Its a difficult situation and sounds like they have a great County Engineer. thank you for the update!

[@BooBahh-uh5jk]

Lol 😂 only time southern Minnesota gets mentioned on a twin cities news channel

[@Sonjaorleans]

Too lazy

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

Interesting, I'm 1100 miles away and have seen many reports about the flooding in southern Minn. by local coverage to the area.

[@jaydee975]

Probably because Mankato and Rochester have their own tv stations for more localized content. Mankato has KEYC channel 12. 😌

[@mrbaab5932]

​Rachacha

[@ZenDreaming60]

Try living in northern MN! We don’t even get the radar loop image up here! Apparently MN stops around Brainerd!

[@barbarakershner5601]

Wow! Ryan, the Public Works Director... just Wow- he must really love what he does because he was so well spoken and just KNEW his stuff!! Gave the exact info we needed, in an order that made sense, broke it down where it needed to be, shared more to make it more personal, kept it at a level for all to understand.... I was super impressed!! Didn't see that coming! He's the whole darn package! WELL DONE!

[@jimmyjones2896]

But couldn't prevent it....

[@Joseph55220]

It's really refreshing to see a public official that is so damn professional, intelligent, and practical. Panic is contagious. So are calm and rationality.

[@lizj5740]

He reminds me of Kory Honea, Butte County Sheriff, and how well Kory handled the broken spillway at Oroville Dam in 2017.

[@JeffKlukas-bm7zi]

Northern States Power Company owned the dam from 1910 until 1970 when it started to deteriorate. Then they "gave/sold/whatever" it to Blue Earth County. In 1972, the county board ruled the dam should be replaced or taken out. In 1986, they put a big band aid on the dam with concrete reinforcements. This dam should have been taken out or replaced decades ago. Yet here we are today.

[@morganjatkwicz9171]

Yep all those shovel ready and paid for infrastructure jobs that have been promised.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

@@morganjatkwicz9171 Well the money wont show up without asking for it and Republicans are notorious for refusing any funding from Democratic programs

[@monie-bt9jn]

That is scarry information there JeffKlukas!

[@AppalachianMountaineer1863]

To be honest the dam didn’t fail, the retaining wall/bank failed. Which means that their quick repair worked the land itself failed

[@chopperocker]

also, it should have had an emergency spillway but it didnt so the earth created one. this is what we get when we prioritize funding outreach programs instead of infrastructure management.

[@airsearch1]

What doesn't make any sense to me is, being that they know there is a significant build up of silt, why don't they dredge it out. Personally, I think if they aren't actually using it for hydro-electric power generation they should remove the dam all together and restore the river to it's original condition.

[@Renville80]

They were in the process of making that very decision - whether to repair the dam or proceed with removal.

[@gregparrott]

Kudos to the public works director for deftly handling a barrage of questions. He directly answered a wide range of questions, both the reasonable as well as idiotic, sensationalist ones. I don't know how many times he was exposed to 'what if the dam collapses, sending giant wall of water?' Simply stating that its age and silt buildup has directed that outflow match inflow (i.e. no net accumulation), and has since 2019. That should have sufficed to moderate the repetition and perhaps prompt someone to ask for an estimate of how many acre-feet of mud/silt resides behind the dam. Since inflow/outflow are equal, a surge would be comprised of that silt.

[@jimmyjones2896]

Yeah, beaureucrats are really good at explaining away why they failed to do their job beforehand to prevent it.

[@gregparrott]

@@jimmyjones2896 Cynical, comment. Other than that, it is devoid of substance. The dam was built in 1910, over 110 years ago. If you listened to what was said, you'd realize the root cause of the issue was the debris flow upstream blocking water from exiting normal paths. Maybe if YOU could predict the second highest flood ever, when it would occur, how big it would be, how it would flush upstream debris (trees, logs, etc.), and then persuade voters to approve the added budget necessary to address a future issue, one that never happened before, not even in all time record flood of 1965 (~60 years ago), then yeah, OK, Kudos to you. As for the real world, it doesn't work that way. P.S. I've never even visited Minnesota.

[@rohandevilliers5997]

Well spoken Ryan, my observation would be the county should have a debree clearing machine permanently on standby, as the ancient saying goes, its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, in your emergency plan this can fully justify the need to acquire a machine

[@hotrodray6802]

How many $million just parked there "just in case" a 100 year flood happens?

[@rohandevilliers5997]

@@hotrodray6802 a 100 year flood is a terminology used in qauging the expected volume of water not to say once in a hundred year only and now your safe for the next hundred years, it mearely means in the last hundred years the highest rainfall and water coming down would be this much or that much, millions dollar just parked there is a bit excessive without a real price and what about the cost of rebuilding the side breach now and the potential further damage ,when looking at disaster planning and mittigation all options are looked at and weighed in, yes finance always have a roll to play as but safety is valued higher than money.

[@equallawandorder5393]

Tell me how you understand financial matters ❗️🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@outoftheboxmedic1608]

To the Officials, thank you for your hard work and transparency regarding this event. Now, to most of the reporters: if I had to conduct employee performance evaluations based on the number of repetitive questions asked, many of which had already been answered in the initial briefing, you would be fired.

[@oldgary57]

OMG!!!!! How many times does he have to say; " Our major concern is the sediments behind the dam."? Is anyone going to ask him about his concern about the sediments coming downstream? ? ? ? Our news networks are full of morons!

[@rdallas81]

That damn dam sentiment I mean sediment

[@davearnold9328]

Apparently you weren't listening. He CLEARLY described the reason they don't want the sediment downstream. He CLEARLY explained that having the sediment move downstream is not for fear of life or structure loss, it was for ecological reasons.

[@clarkleyland1484]

if they bring in heavy long arm excavator an remove the debris that's jamming on the dam structure then the stress would be alleviated. just an opinion . A debris arrestor should be set up before the dam so not to damage or obstruct the dams function .

[@jimmyjones2896]

Not an opinion. A fact.

[@mos8756]

Thank you for sharing this update

[@MegaCj65]

If you listen to the questions and the assumptions the media asks about, you can understand why so much of what they hear is misconstrued by the time it's reported on.

[@3orion33]

Damn ! ( No punn intended ) So, let's check the stability of ALL dams frequently for being able to withstand such stress issues, please ! And make all necessary changes and repairs asap !

[@jfrodgers7858]

You are voting for tax dollars. Old dams don't repair themselves. And there is already a list of dams and what condition they are in.

[@sandraking9650]

$$$$$ ?

[@williamlloyd3769]

Great to see dam emergency action plan being followed. Notifications and procedures work. PS - Interesting to see that the bigger threat is social media message management PS2 - local PBS video about the dam mentioned that the house under threat was originally built to support the building of the dam and sold off and moved to its current location afterwards. Hope it survives.

[@Mrrich3]

Social Media messaging is the greatest threat to all humans on this planet. It is a virus that spreads at light speed and for which we have no inoculation to stop.

[@monie-bt9jn]

May God be with all these people that are in that area... May you all be strong! God bless all of you

[@sharon94503]

What is it with all of the 'God' comments? Get a grip on reality people.

[@monie-bt9jn]

@@sharon94503 maybe you should try it... Get a grip on reality sharon

[@sharon94503]

@@monie-bt9jn I don't subscribe to your religion, nor do I believe in ghosts or fairy tales.

[@monie-bt9jn]

@@sharon94503 TMI sharon...Don't put people down for their beliefs or prays then... Unsubscribe

[@jfrodgers7858]

Thank you for this report. Yes there was a lot of misinformation on social media, "dam failure." You are saying the manufactured dam openings got clogged with debris and the pressure at the left side of the dam carved a new release point, in the hillside BESIDE the dam. Thanks. (Just a tip for public speakers, when answering questions. Unless the questioner is micced up, we cannot hear the question. Sometimes we can assume the question by way of the answer, but other times not. Here's my tip. Repeat back the question into your microphone : "So it is my understanding, that the question is xxxxxxxxxxxxx." THEN answer the question.)

[@repurposedart9897]

With the cost to replace the dam, it might be best to remove this dam and let nature take its course...

[@jfrodgers7858]

And people can just get their electricity some other way.

[@chrishayden7016]

The generators were gone years ago.

[@bmn7700]

100 years of sediment, farm runoff, and pollution behind the dam that need to be mitigated are the main issue with removal

[@herbb8547]

​​@@bmn7700Won't the muck just slowly move downstream? In time it should dig itself out. Or will there be a big sludge flow? A sludge flow would be cool. I grew up on a farm right beside a river in central MN. Floods were always great excitement.

[@joleenspelbrink3265]

How frightening ...feel so sorry for all involved that are impacted😢

[@Neil-ru7kw]

An emergency diversion spillway with enough capactity to handal 500 year flood water and debris should have been built after the 1965 epic flood , at 1965 construction costs . It shoud still be built right where the water is bypassing the dam .

[@kevinschroeder3889]

Hind sight is always 20/20. Where were you when we needed you in 1965?

[@karllongan9535]

Optimism is the fuel for the furnace of failure. The lack of forthought in this situation is incredible. Wait til dam fails completely to evacuate?

[@johnlangevin708]

They said they started notifying folks a week ago.

[@gantmj]

They said at least three times that the dam isn't holding back water anymore, it's all dirt.

[@herbb8547]

Will it matter if the dam fails?

[@michaelmcgann1814]

Try to focus so you might keep up with the discussion. I would not use your real name when you post anything.

[@judithwalters8959]

Prayers to those down land to this dam. My heart breaks for the owner of that home that's on edge. I live in an area that tends to flood, so I can truly say I understand how they are feeling.

[@SeanMahoney33]

Another great lesson to alway listen to the locacao, state, and government officials. Social media is filled with misinformation.

[@marvindebot3264]

I've been in emergency services for some 35 years and that is the best press briefing I have ever seen.

[@NickDoddTV]

Awesome professionalism.

[@jaydee975]

Correction on the largest flood in the area ever. That occurred when the waters from Lake Agassiz drained and deepened and widened the Minnesota River Valley with waters estimated by geologist to be up to 250 feet deep and the river was about 5 miles wide and spots

[@JunkoXan]

while that maybe true, was it this dam specifically? because I am hearing specifics to this dam only not the surrounding area...

[@Zombeegun]

@@JunkoXan I think he's referring to about 50,000 years ago. Give or take.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

Is there any video of that? LOL

[@jaydee975]

@@Zombeegunyes! Actually well the final drainage to the south through Minnesota is said to have occurred about 10,000 years ago. After that the remainder of the lake trained north through the Mackenzie River valley.

[@jaydee975]

@@CraigGrant-sh3in 😂😂😂 However…. There is an artists illustration at the science museum of Minnesota of River Warren Falls, that was located on the vicinity of downtown St. Paul. Geologists estimate the falls was larger than Niagara Falls. Over a brief period of time the falls eroded the soft sandstone and migrated northwest to its current location at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis.

[@Chris-Pringle]

That vest is brand new

[@dknowles60]

depending how much rock was used when the dam was built it might ending up ok

[@lahy1060]

Congress should hold hearings on why local and state governments ignore the public-recommended solutions.

[@mikec3391]

Ryan you handled that like a stud !

[@RDC_Autosports]

wondering why they didn’t start removing the timber spillway boards….

[@cocofox2167]

It's my understanding that the original removable timber boards were replaced with solid concrete when the dam was changed to allow all of the water to pass through rather than holding back water in a resevoir like it once used to. I don't know why they didn't just leave them open anyway since it wasn't holding anything back, but even so as the engineer stated it's peak flow was 34,000 cubic feet per second which was well below the spillway capacity of 42,000 cubic feet per second.

[@daveycrocket4873]

They couldn't open the gate because the logs jammed the gates.they claimed they didn't have the money to pay for the removal. Today the excuses have changed to more than accurate flow.​@@cocofox2167

[@mattsharkey311]

Did you watch the interview? They literally said that they were talking with a contractor to attempt to remove it and they said that it would be too difficult without reduced flows

[@RDC_Autosports]

@@mattsharkey311 that’s for the stuff in front of the dam

[@RDC_Autosports]

@@cocofox2167 you are absolutely correct! street view at the bridge approach that’s on the house side you can see that are solid concrete wall!👍

[@j4woodylarsen542]

Praying for you all! 🙏🏼🙏🏼💯🇺🇸

[@romeoslover817]

The term immanent means that the the event is GOING to occur. The use of that term scared me, and I am in California. They used the same term when the from the Orville Lake Dam was full and the emergency spillway was in bad condition. If that dam collapsed , the water would have washed out a lot of farmland, mini homes, and several towns. It is a miracle they were able to repair the spillway and save a true catastrophe.

[@michaelcurtis1158]

How many acre feet of water is in the reservoir?

[@user-fb1jk7je4r]

We have excellent Trained people who work so hard and keep peopls safe as possible. Thank you workers God Bless All

[@mattharvey8712]

Bravo.....the dam didn't fail........over flow.......did.....cheers

[@dlkirkendoll1]

He stated he was a “transportation” engineer and not a “Civil Engineer” or Geo engineer?

[@InWithBothFeet]

If the dam can no longer be used for hydro power because of sediment, and it's damaged from the 2019 flood to the point that they can't control the gates anymore, they should just remove the dam and be done with it. It serves no function other than being a threat during flood conditions.

[@karenchilders2449]

Better safe than sorry.

[@sandraking9650]

Yes, now sorry 😞

[@danmeyer4476]

So... the issue was the county did not own the proper equipment to remove debris in a timely fashion. Somehow this has escaped most reporters.

[@hotrodray6802]

Sure... $millions in equipment sitting around waiting maybe decades for something to happen.... Makes sense to me.

[@michaelmcgann1814]

What a half informed post. I feel sorry for people who have to listen to you gibberish in real time.

[@silvrfox2uBooboo]

Oh! ATTENTION NEWS PEOPLE: please put a microphone aimed OUTWARD to the crowd asking questions! We never hear what the questions are! There are umpteen microphones in front of the updaters, but not one microphone aimed toward the crowd asking them the questions! Thank You!........

[@nvs4u2]

It’s interesting that the want to SAVE the upstream basin sentiment. Most dams, in the spring, will open full flow to wash out the sentiment and debris.

[@davidsasse9025]

Geez what do we consider a catastrophic failure? if the power plant substation and storage buildings with equipment have washed away...

[@fatman123526]

They didn’t exactly answer the catastrophic failure question. They tried to make a talking point, but pointed to a study on effect from an expected max flow from an undamaged dam.

[@taritabonita22]

An engineer that knows his job inside and out! ❤

[@johnganshow5536]

The Dam is irrelevant at this point, the water is going around it...

[@michaelmcgann1814]

Wrong. Again

[@peterscheuer9118]

Figure out away to remove the debris from the spillway. Your welcome for the advice.

[@rdallas81]

That damn dam sentiment.. That dam damn sediment. Damn. Dams. Damn. Ma'am.

[@Renville80]

The dam itself clearly held, just the river took a shortcut around it. IMO, if the structure is still solid, I would probably focus on whether the dam would be good for flood control (after removing all remaining power generation equipment) and base the decision on that.

[@Chuck44442]

Who would- of ever thunk??

[@jwfinley7808]

Trump would make things right!

[@lindy4609]

Now those are real men up there in Minnesota!

[@jwfinley7808]

It was a log jam!!

[@David-sx4hp]

if the dam is intact and in good shape why couldn’t they get an excavator out there with a claw and remove those trees? what i saw was a bunch of dpw workers standing around. The water behind the dam is shallow. there is not enough pressure to blow the dam out.

[@slickpack76]

Why did imminant threat get reported as imminent failure by the media?

[@Marcus_Hawley]

sound guy ducked on this job

[@jdhva2]

How about the Army Corp of Engineers having certain equipment to deploy to flood risk areas with dams and not have to rely on "contractors" having the right equipment available and willing to serve in a needed situation to save lives. ????

[@lightdancer2251]

2023 was the hottest year on record.

[@hermanr5513]

That’s a lot of flow. Almost 1/3 of what goes over Niagara Falls.

[@tomfields3682]

Dayum!

[@tucobenedicto109]

Nice reporting sad situation. We need na update to theupdate!

[@coachesalot]

In other words the local emergency director was not prepared for this emergency and did nothing to clear the debris……because his buddy (preferred contractor) had his equipment 5 hours away. It is absurd to think there was only one rig with the right bucket to remove the debris. Dude - the debris and sediment was not managed! Dams require constant management. If you can’t maintain the dam, take it down!

[@TheBrianlester]

Spot on.

[@jasminelindros8923]

If you would like to buy one of these specialized, one-of-a-kind buckets and donate it, go ahead. If you'd like to raise your taxes to clear debris upstream of the dam, make sure you vote for tax-raising candidates. If you just want to whine, there are plenty of people ahead of you who are just as whiny and just as ignorant.

[@Debbersb]

Exactly

[@thorsnightmare1123]

@@jasminelindros8923what are you on about? They could have looked for other crews with buckets to do the job. They didn’t.

[@chrishayden7016]

Or open it up and leave it open.

[@steveharkins279]

Does his math of record CFM, include the 2 of 7 boarded up (closed off) spillways?

[@Sonjaorleans]

Why is no one trying to save the dam

[@larryscott3982]

Assuming the dam doesn’t fail outright, will the dam be removed when conditions permit?

[@cjacob9875]

Its a full dam failure, no such thing as a partial failure!!

[@cindycampbell807]

Looks like a failure to remove debris from dam so it didn’t block gates to me

[@markbailey6051]

How about removing the log jam?

[@kathycarlson8929]

Very impressed w/this guy. Super interesting information. Way to handle the press with your knowledge base and expertise!

[@ruthnovena40]

Excellent work.

[@bonniemartenez5294]

Praying 🙏

[@JohnC29]

Is it a stupid question when the information has already been provided?

[@richardbeee]

Is the dam still hollow or was it one that got filled?

[@user-lb5zc6uj1n]

Trust! Yourself.

[@catherineleslie-faye4302]

OK I'm going to ask a stupid question... Is there any way some of that water (which might threaten homes in the next week) could be shipped south to areas facing drought?

[@kimburke3189]

Doesn't anyone check upstream ahead of time to clear streams of excess garbage that might effect the dam down stream?

[@jayson8372]

I believe the issue, based on his observations, is that numerous dead trees were washed downstream. It will be necessary for someone to inspect the river thoroughly, both upstream and downstream, to identify any upright dead trees. The question remains: whose budget will this responsibility fall under?

[@jeneendove906]

This dam should of been looked at always if other waters flow into it. 😢praying for all.

[@ThomasBranson-yv5ub]

It should have never been built !!

[@NAFO_MythicPlague]

Good morning I do not know if that is a good thing to say to a woman who lost her home because the state failed to maintain its Dam.

[@hotrodray6802]

Good briefing. Soo the inadequately built dam is failing again. The people downstream remind me of those who move by the airport and then complain about the airplanes. AIAA ?

[@raymondsullivan7230]

There will be plenty of floods there I guarantee you that RPS 111

[@lakemi4665]

Nope, director failed, you knew it was coming !

[@user-kl8tw8ww7g]

Bullshit, that debris should have been cleared.

[@amymartin7508]

Wait.. I heard "reopen' so.. who is causing this?

[@norm2264]

Listen to this dumbbell Johnny come lately should have did something before it got washed away

[@2024.choice]

This looks like a case of shoulda coulda woulda what that means is we should have done this we could have avoided this and if we would have done this my question is why isn't the owner of the damn out there trying to explain why he didn't do maintenance

[@privacyvalued4134]

"Rapidan Dam." A tongue twister in progress. Just needs a few more words bolted on and you'll get word mush that will be hard to say three times fast.

[@jamesbateman2686]

did this dam have a spillway?

[@CSGATI]

Show the dam current condition

[@vne5195]

13:54

[@Comm0ut]

Draining and removal would save taxpayers spending more money on repairs. It hasn't generated electric power since 1965! Previous flooding is the reason why. Potential collapse was why removal was considered in 1972. This danger does not need to exist.

[@frankangermann6460]

11:00 Not clever to repeat that false information…..🤷🏽‍♂️