Jerome Scanlon, from Freese & Nichols, walks the top of the dam at Site 12,
just east of Coupland.

Over two weeks in November, a team of inspectors from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Freese & Nichols Engineering examined each of the 23 dams that the Lower Brushy Creek Water Conservation and Improvement District (WCID) is responsible for.

This is the first comprehensive inspection of these rural dams in decades and is part of Lower Brushy Creek’s effort to classify and prioritize deferred maintenance issues relating to the flood control structures. In November, directors authorized about $37,000 to pay for a thorough evaluation of each of the dams.

While at Site 12, just east of Coupland, Jerome Scanlon and Rojin Tuladhar, of
Freese & Nichols, discovered that significant wave erosion which lead to undercuts
of the face of the dam on the upstream side.
Scanlon examines the rusting and nearly collapsed spillway discharge pipe at Site 12,
a rural earthen dam just east of Coupland.
Some of the fencing around the dams in the Lower Brushy Creek haven’t been
replaced since they were built in the 1960s.
Scanlon takes photos that shows the number of places where wave erosion has
cut into the upstream face of the dam at Site 12.
As the team inspects the dam, Tuladhar takes notes on its condition. These notes will be collated to produce a report that clearly evaluates each structure.
The intake tower at Site 12 appeared to be in good shape.
WCID General Manager Jim Clarno (L), worked with Scanlon and Tuladhar
to assess the original site plans of the dam at Site 12.
Rural flood control dams in East WilCo haven’t had thorough inspections in decades. That changed in November.