Lake Delhi Iowa Dam Collapses

By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News Network
Sunday, July 25, 2010

IOWA (GaeaTimes.com)-The residents of Eastern Iowa saw the collapse of the Lake Delhi dam on Saturday which made them worried for some time. The 83 year old dam failed to cope up with the rising pressure of water of the raging Maquoketa River. The region has been witnessing severe rainfall for the last few days and it was too much for the earthen dam to bear. A big rupture was noticed on the dam wall and it gave way soon after. The water fell several feet below into the river. The adjacent Hopkinton town got inundated soon. The water level in the Maquoketa River has been rising for some time and the authorities kept a sharp eye on the situation.

Water gushed in the Hopkinton town after the Lake Delhi dam gave way and the authorities put on the warning sirens. The residents staying in adjoining areas were evacuated by the town authorities fast and no death or injury has been reported so far. The dam breakdown has affected almost 8000 people, as it has been reported. A lot of houses have been waterlogged and the amount of loss has to be estimated yet.

The flood ruined the activities going on at the Monticello Jones County Fair. Very few people felt interested to attend the fair where the ground became muddy and waterlogged fast. Chet Culver the governor of Iowa later said that the staff acted promptly in alerting people about the Lake Delhi dam collapse and it saved the residents. At first the residents of the town were alarmed but later the fear subsided.

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