Pumping the dam could last days

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Crews will be working for several more days draining the water in Sloss Lake so repairs can be made to the broken dam there.
Officials said the lake, which is located on Alabama 24, must be lowered to a level that is below the two leaks.
The two large holes in the earthen dam were found by city workers on Tuesday. The largest of the leaks is at about the mid point of the dam and about 12 feet high.
Five large pumps were brought in to drain water from the lake and to re-direct it down channels that eventually flow into Cedar Creek.
According to records at the Franklin County Archives and Research Center, the lake was built over 100 years ago and was used to wash iron ore that was mined nearby. Sloss, Sheffield Steel and Iron operated out of the lake for years, giving it its name and the nickname, "Pump Pond."
The 85-acre lake and the 20 acres of land surrounding it were donated to the city of Russellville in 1981. Shortly afterward, the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers closed the lake because of faulty dam conditions.
City officials said the dam has needed repairs four times in the last 40 years, but those problems were not in the same portion of the dam as this week's leaks.
Russellville Water and Sewer Board manager Doug Clement said the water would be drained to a level beneath the leaks, then work to repair them will begin. Several hundred million gallons of water will have to be pumped from the lake before crews will have access to make repairs.
City officials are working to find a solution so the problem does not occur again in the future.
The Alabama Department of Transportation began hauling in stone Tuesday shortly after the leaks were found to keep the water from damaging Alabama 24.
Police then went door-to-door in Town and Country Trailer Park notifying residents that the dam could break. However, Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said those warnings were precautionary and there appears to be no imminent danger.