To the editor:

The question is not, if the dam breaks, but when it breaks. Earthen dams have been breaking more frequently over the past several years. A few years ago, a small earthen dam broke and flooded part of Slidell. On March 12, 2004, Big Bay Lake Dam just west of Purvis, Mississippi broke. The earthen dam was only 57 feet high which held a 900-1000 acre lake. When Big Bay ruptured 15-20 feet of water crossed Columbia-Purvis. 104 structures were damaged, 48 destroyed, 37 had major damage, 19 had minor damage, and 100 yards of roadways were destroyed. The damage was comparable to an F2-F4 tornado from the dam to the Pearl River, about 11 miles. The Big Bay Dam broke at 12:35 p.m., there were no human lives lost.

Here is some food for thought; the Oak Grove Community Reservoir will be over three times the size of Big Bay Lake. The Oak Grove Community Reservoir Dam will be 8,000 feet or 1 ½ miles long standing 150 feet high. The dam will hold a lake of 3310 acres that will have a depth of 90 feet of water. This is 43-44 million gallons of water or 344,000,000 pounds of pressure (roughly) on the dam. This is on a normal day.

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Compare the damage that Big Bay Lake caused in 11 miles, to what is beneath the Oak Grove Community Reservoir Dam. More than 100 homes, 2 roads, and Bogalusa between the dam and the Pearl River.

Winford Pittman

Bogalusa