By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Water being held back by a severely eroded watershed dam south of Sabetha is slowly being released to lessen any possible flooding should the dam fail.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources reports a contractor has begun to lower water levels incrementally to reduce the risk of downstream flooding. Division officials say once the reservoir is lowered, a plan will be developed to repair the dam.

The prospect of the dam’s failure sparked some panic in portions of northeast Kansas. Initial reports claimed the dam’s failure was imminent. The Division of Water Resources refuted that report, issuing a statement saying floodwaters had seriously eroded the back side of the dam, but that its failure was not imminent.

The dam has been monitored closely by the division since last Tuesday. A safety team was sent to the site to inspect the damage.

County officials have closed two nearby roads, County Road 220 and County Road 250, as a precautionary measure.

A division official says he doesn’t believe that anybody is in danger due to the deteriorating condition of the dam.

The Kansas Division of Water Resources is in communication with the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.

State officials also greatly downplay initial reports that failure of the dam could overrun U.S. Highway 36 in northeastern Kansas or threaten the Kickapoo Indian Reservation and the Golden Eagle Casino, stating its failure would likely only flood surrounding agricultural land.

Still, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for south of Sabetha down the Delaware River which could affect east-central Nemaha County, southwestern Brown County, and northeastern Jackson County.