Officials say Lake Lure dam 'did its job' during Helene. What comes next for the century old dam?
Please take a moment to read the article and review the videos by Sarah Honosky, Asheville Citizen TImes. Photo and video credit: Josh Bell,
LAKE LURE - From his home's lakeside vantage point, on the morning Tropical Storm Helene reached Western North Carolina, Mayor Pro Tem Dave DiOrio watched as the dam's arches overtopped.
It was something no one had seen in "recent memory," DiOrio said. The "breakout" of water on the sides of the dam caused further alarm, its force washing out the embankments.
The dam did not fail, nor was it in "imminent failure," DiOrio told the Citizen Times April 2.
But that morning, Sept. 27, it was enough to issue an evacuation order for residents below the dam. Officials put out an imminent failure warning, initiating a voice notification system, he said. It prompted people to evacuate from the watershed, which DiOrio believes saved lives.
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Lake Lure Mayor Pro Tem David DiOrio speaks to the Asheville Citizen Times Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at the Lake Lure Dam in Lake Lure. “We didn’t know. You always take action on the side of extreme caution and we did that," he said. DiOrio is a retired naval submarine officer, with an engineering background, and walked the Citizen Times through the property in April.
The 124-foot hydroelectric dam, completed in 1927 on the Rocky Broad River in Rutherford County, was described in "fair" condition in a March 2023 inspection, according to the National Inventory of Dams. It has a "high" hazard potential classification, which indicates its failure could result in loss of life.
“The dam did its job," DiOrio said. "It absorbed at least the initial impact of the storm, which allowed everyone by our emergency notification system to clear the Rocky Broad and the greater Broad River basin all the way to Columbia, South Carolina.”
The Lake Lure Dam Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in Lake Lure.
An October report from Schnabel Engineering, which assisted as the town's dam safety engineering consultant before, during and after Helene, found in general, the concrete portions of the dam performed as intended.
"However, internal erosion occurred within the earthen embankment portion of the dam at the left abutment, creating three depressions across the crest and a slide on the downstream slope," the report said.
All but the dam's two tallest arches overtopped, as designed, with lake levels reaching 3.5 to 4 feet below the crest of the dam's abutment.
"The dam is situated in bedrock, so it didn't move an inch," DiOrio said. "However, it looked dramatic."
A portion of ground that washed out during Hurricane Helene can be seen at the Lake Lure Dam Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in Lake Lure.
Now what?
At the dam, an access road culminated into a ruin of crumbled asphalt and rock. A utility pole, its lines intact, was on its side. Above it, the hillside was a raw, earthen scar. The sewer lift station was destroyed.
To prepare for the storm, the lake was lowered and its three spillway Tainter gates, used to control water flow, were fully opened. Despite precautions, the lake continued to rise.
"That's when I knew were in trouble," DiOrio said.
Lake Lure saw nearly 15 inches of rain over the course of the event, from Sept. 24-28, according to the National Weather Service. But the Broad River's headwaters, closer to Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, flowing into Lake Lure, saw upward of 20 inches. That is more than triple the area's normal rainfall for September of about 5 inches.
The October report detailed recommendations for immediate repairs, primarily to fill the depressions and stabilize abutments, as well as further fixes to be made in consultation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other state agencies.
Stabilization and emergency repair of the dam is largely complete, but DiOrio said, but there is needed refurbishment.
Looking to the future, the town wants to build a new dam with greater flood control capabilities, but it carries a hefty multimillion-dollar price tag. A reservoir drain project at the dam was recently completed, which will allow the town to lower the lake beyond 12 feet if needed.
According to an April 18 town update, Schnabel Engineering is overseeing a geotechnical subsurface investigation to support the design of the replacement dam at Lake Lure.
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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at Sarah Honosky
