Water begins returning to Boiling Spring Lakes

BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC  (WWAY) — Nearly eight years after Hurricane Florence damaged Boiling Spring Lakes’ dam system and emptied the city’s lakes, water is beginning to return to one of them.

The city has received final approval from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Dam Safety Program to close the flow gate at the Upper Allen Creek Dam. The approval allows the city to begin impounding water behind the newly completed dam.

“It’s going to be tremendous; it’s getting us back to where we were,” said City Manager Matt Kirkland.

The city’s dams breached during Hurricane Florence in September 2018, causing severe damage and draining the lakes. The dam system has since undergone extensive repairs as part of a long-term restoration project.

Kirkland said the flow gate at Upper Allen Creek Dam is now officially closed.

“It’s also called impoundment, so the Upper Lake Dam is now impounded, and we’re monitoring closely to make sure everything is going like it should,” said Kirkland.

Recent rainfall has already helped water begin collecting in the lake, although city officials said it will take time for it to refill completely.

Kirkland called the development an important first step toward completing the city’s overall dam restoration project.

“Very exciting to have this be one of the first messages to be able to push out to the board and to the community that we’re back on track. Still got a bit of a ways to go with three other projects to wrap up, but a good first step towards closing out this whole dam project,” said Kirkland.

The North Lake Dam is among the three remaining projects. Kirkland said the city hopes to begin impounding water there within the next month or two.

Work also remains on the two largest dams.

“One is the Pine Lake Dam, which is right here on East Boiling Springs Lake Road, so that project will probably take a few more months to get back on track, and then Sanford Dam, which is the biggest project, is also still a few months out. Our contract with the builder runs out in May of next year, so we anticipate completion by then and hopefully, like with the Upper Lake Dam, we can have them done a little early,” said Kirkland.

While the city still has work ahead, the Upper Allen Creek Dam milestone marks the first time in nearly a decade that Boiling Spring Lakes is beginning to put the “lakes” back in its name.