June flooding caused breaches at only five small, rural dams while most such dams stood up well to the surging waters, according to an assessment released by the state Department of Natural Resources.

"The good news is that, for the most part, the dams held up well and did what they were supposed to do," said Meg Galloway, the DNR's dam safety chief.

Galloway said the agency has contacted the owners of more than 200 dams to collect information on flooding-related problems. The dams were a major concern during the heavy rains that started June 7 and continued for much of the next two weeks.

Those rains led to record flows on many rivers including the Baraboo, Rock, Milwaukee, Bark and Root.

The dams that were breached included the Cushman Dam on the Bark River, the Carlin Dam on Upper Spring Creek, and the Lower Spring Creek Dam, all in Jefferson County. Also breached were the Wyocena Dam on Duck Creek in Columbia County and the Figor Dam on the Middle Branch of Duck Creek, as well as an unauthorized dam in Grant County.

While Lake Delton made the most headlines when it drained through a break in the shoreline, the dam on that lake held.

In addition to the five dams that were breached, another 23 dams are estimated to have substantial damage and another 31 suffered minor damage. Assessments are yet to come on about 20 more dams, Galloway said.

Galloway said the dams that were breached are rated "low hazard'' because they have few people and buildings downstream. Only minor damage was reported below the dams.

The flooding put attention on the DNR's dam inspection program, which had been criticized for being behind in inspections. But Galloway said the agency has caught up on inspections, with 543 inspections completed in the past year, including those in response to flooding.

Regional engineers with the DNR are now working with the owners of damaged dams on repair or reconstruction. Some owners are choosing to simply remove the dams, Galloway said.

-- Ron Seely

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