Water drains from Hope Mills Lake again

Mayor Eddie Dees said the sudden drop, which exposed weeds and branches along the lake bed, was planned.

The impoundment of the lake in October was only temporary and crews planned to drain it to run more tests on the dam, Dees said. Workers need to repair small leaks in the structure that Dees said are normal for new concrete dams.

The 750-foot-long concrete dam was built to prevent Hope Mills Lake from draining again. Torrential rains on Memorial Day 2003 washed away the former earthen dam at the lake, and the town spent five years trying to finance and then construct the new dam.

The new dam was completed in June, and the lake reached its full, 103-foot level by the end of August. Still, some nearby residents complained that the lake was lower than it had been before the earthen dam burst.

“Who knows what’s gonna happen to the fish,” Friends of Hope Mills Lake President Jim Williams said.

It remains unclear when the work will be completed and the lake will be restored to its normal size.