Table Rock Lake nears flood-storage capacity

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri is nearing its flood-storage capacity.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman P.J. Spaul says the lake can handle another two-tenths of an inch of runoff. The floodgates are open and releasing 52,000 cubic feet of water per second - an amount that may increase soon. In comparison, an Olympic swimming pool holds about 88,000 cubic feet of water.

Thirteen inches of rain have fallen in the Table Rock Basin in April, including 9.8 inches in the recent spate of storms.

Engineers inspected two mudslides Monday on a downstream embankment at Table Rock and determined they pose no threat to the integrity of the dam. Missouri 165 is closed because the slides begin near the highway guardrail.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - Relentless rain caused a 40-yard section of land to slide down the north side of Table Rock Dam, prompting state officials to close the highway across the dam.

Greg Oller, manager of the dam, says the concrete dam itself is not in danger.

But state highway 165 in southwest Missouri was closed Monday out of concern for the public. It will be closed indefinitely.

Oller says engineers determined Monday that the dam and embankment that approaches it from the north are safe.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that workers will sandbag the area until the rain ends, then bring in topsoil when the area dries out.

Oller says a 40-by-30 yard section of topsoil collapsed. The topsoil sits on top of a 35-foot-thick core of compacted clay.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com