Upgrades to ‘high-hazard’ Mississippi dam could cost $15M

Published 9:38 am Monday, February 7, 2022

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STARKVILLE (AP) — It could potentially cost more than $15 million to make repairs to a dam in northeast Mississippi, a preliminary report shows.

Oktibbeha County officials are discussing repairs to Oktibbeha County Lake Dam, The Commercial Dispatch reported.

The new cost estimate is nearly twice the $8 million for full dam repairs that Prichard Engineering estimated in January 2020 after it was suspected the dam was in imminent danger of breaching.

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The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has deemed the dam a high hazard dam that needs repairs made in the near future.

A final report and cost estimate on the repairs is expected to be presented at the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 21.