After Sunday’s heavy rain that fell across much of North Texas, emergency officials continue to monitor the integrity of an earthen dam in the Rockwall County community of McLendon-Chisholm.
According to Mayor Bryan McNeal, the pressure caused the ground to shift approximately six feet in the last 24 hours, heightening concerns over a possible dam failure.
State officials were out in Rockwall County Monday telling the Mayor there's no need for evacuations or water pumps, but teams will keep an eye on the dam.
"(The State) called off the pump. Which, me personally, I'm still perplexed about," McNeal said. "If they say we're good, we're good. My stance is still that we still have damage on the back side, and I still have homeowners that could be at risk if there were a potential failure. So, for me, I still want to monitor it."
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McNeal said a catastrophic failure of the dam would flood 25 to 30 homes in the Chisholm Crossing subdivision and make cars "float like ice cubes." Things were tense Sunday night, but it seems the area dodged a bullet.
Concerns are at the bottom of the dam and what McNeal said is an 'onion peel effect' where rain causes the dam to peel away until it collapses.
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"Depending on what that rain does. Remember all that water comes from different areas. That’s going to come to this area. So, as it’s draining into these areas – how much can it keep up, that I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone can forecast that answer," said McNeal. "If it does hit like it’s been hitting – I would call it a dangerous level."
By Monday afternoon, officials had put poles and caution tape near the center of the dam.
"We've got stakes in the ground that run a straight line, that can tell us where the movement is in the ground. And we'll come back before the storm, and we'll come back after the storm," McNeal said. "And if we see movement, then we'll make new decisions at that time."
Residents are being asked to stay ready in case they need to leave.
Karen Duignan and her husband moved to the neighborhood nearly seven years ago. Their property is located near the centerline of the dam.
“We moved here six and a half years ago,” Duignan said. “We wanted a pool, and we found this lot. (It was) perfect, no neighbors in the back.”
From her backyard, Duignan can see the grassy knoll her dog runs up to jump in the conservation lake. By Monday morning, Duignan had boarded her dog and packed some essentials.
“I have a bag packed with all my valuables, passports. So, if we gotta’ go, we go,” Duignan said. “When we got that rain yesterday, (the land) just started sliding. If we get more rain, it’s just going to get worse and worse.”
Their view Monday morning was torn up layers of soil that threatened to slide down even further.
“It’s very scary,” she said. “I can’t pack up my whole house.”
McNeal noted that people who live on the following streets should "take precautions to prepare."
- Fireside Drive
- Parade Point
- Granite Ridge Road
- Highwater Crossing
- Stampede Run
Among the preparations the mayor suggested were gathering needed medicines and important documents.
McNeal said if an evacuation is needed, an alert will be sent through social media, homeowners associations and the Rockwall County Office of Emergency Management.
"Until I can look at the neighbors in this community and say, 'You're safe,' I want to stay on top of," McNeal said.
