NATCHEZ — When the federal government built an assembly of dams across Adams County in the 1960s it’s doubtful anyone could have been able to predict the recent problems the dams have brought up.

Of the 10 dams in the county, four are in need of costly upgrades and the group charged with overseeing the dams has no money to fix them.

On Monday, representatives from state and federal agencies, as well as members of the Adams County Board of Supervisors met to discuss the current state of the dams and what can be done to fix them.

The meeting ended with little resolution.

Of the 10 dams in the county, four are classified as high hazard dams.

That qualification means that if the dams were to break there would be a high possibility for the loss of life for those living behind the dam.

And the president of the Second Creek Watershed Commission, Thomas Kilroy, said he’s not sure how to correct the situation.

“We need help,” Kilroy said.

But Kilroy is not alone in his need for assistance.

As part of an agreement with the federal government, it states where the levees were built had to have sponsors to oversee the dams’ maintenance once they were built.

In Adams County, the Second Creek Commission was formed to look after the dams even though most of the dams are on private property.

A state statute in 1972 gave the commission the authority to collect taxes from residents that benefited from the protection of the dams as a means to have funding for the upkeep of the dams.

However, those taxes were never collected — and no one is sure why.

Kilroy said he’s not sure if the statute actually went into effect.

Supervisor Mike Lazarus said he believes the statute was put into effect but no taxes were collected.

However, there was some consensus from Monday’s meeting — the entire situation is perplexing and has no quick fix.

To compound matters, the newly appointed commission had no idea what they were getting into, Kilroy said.

And he, and others, are not exactly sure what happened to the previous commission before they disbanded for three years.

Kilroy said the commission was only reassembled after the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality sent a letter the county, and others, addressing the need for emergency action plans.

Those plans outline what should be done in the event of a dam breach at any of the four dams in question — the plans were supposed to have been completed in 2006.

Some at Monday’s meeting suggested the dams be deliberately breached and done away with altogether.

However, that option is also not without its problems.

The dams, like big ponds, were built to retain water to prevent flooding and prevent erosion.

Lazarus said one dam, about a mile from Beau Pré, would leave the golf course covered in sand and allow flooding in the area if the dam were decommissioned.

But Gaylan McGregor, a civil engineer with the DEQ’s dam division, said something must be done.

McGregor said recently passed requirements mandate high hazard dams must be built up to make them even more breach resistant.

“We don’t want that dam to over top under any conditions,” McGregor.

But McGregor said while the dams are in need of repair, that does not mean they’re on the verge of breaking.

He said Adams County is not unique in its struggle and that there is no timeline in place to have repair work completed.

“This may take years to fix,” he said.