LYNCHBURG, Va.- – Lakeside Drive in Lynchburg is open again for drivers and pedestrians. Historic rainfall over Lynchburg on Aug. 2 nearly caused College Lake Dam to fail and caused major damage and flooding to the roadway. Crews came in to make emergency repairs and fortify the dam to make sure it was safe. Rocks were added on each side of the dam and filled in with grout. More work will still need to be done in the future.
"We do have intake that's over on the lake bed that is filling up with debris occasionally so we need to bring in cranes to help come get the debris out of that to keep the water flowing through and we have good water flow on the creek," said Jes Gearing, public information officer for the City of Lynchburg Department of Water Resources.
As previously reported, the lake will not be refilled and the dam will eventually be removed. The city and the University of Lynchburg will use the area as a learning laboratory.