Arkabutla Dam repairs in southwest DeSoto County have reached another milestone. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished grouting beneath the dam’s outlet works, completing the second phase of interim safety work that started after a sinkhole was found near the dam in 2023. The bigger question of how a permanent fix will be paid for is still open.
Col. Jeremiah Gipson, commander of the Corps’ Vicksburg District, confirmed that the grouting is done in an interview this week with the Daily Memphian, which reported the update Friday.
What Phase 2 of the Arkabutla Dam Repairs Did
The outlet works is the concrete conduit, or tunnel, that runs through the dam and controls how much water is released from Arkabutla Lake into the Coldwater River. Corps engineers became concerned that material beneath that structure was being lost, leaving voids under the foundation.
Phase 2 was aimed at that problem. Crews pumped grout into the conduit foundation to fill the empty spaces and stop more soil from washing away underneath. Here is how the work unfolded this year:
- June 2026: Grouting operations began.
- Mid-July: With nearly 4,000 gallons of grout already injected, the Vicksburg District paused the work so it could release water and bring the lake back down. Releases were stepped up in roughly 500 cubic-feet-per-second increments to a maximum of 4,000 cfs, keeping the Coldwater within its banks below the dam.
- Late summer: Work was set to resume once the lake returned to its 204-foot target elevation.
- This fall: The Corps now says grouting in the outlet works is complete.
When the work paused in July, Gipson said the dam “plays a critical role in our flood risk reduction mission” and that the district was committed to finishing the repairs while keeping the dam reliable.
How the Dam Got Here
In 2023, the Corps found a sinkhole near the toe of the dam, where the embankment meets the ground. After identifying potential breach conditions, the Corps lowered the lake and began emergency repairs. Phase 1 of the interim measures held the lake at a target pool of 204 feet and added relief wells and monitoring equipment so engineers could track conditions inside the embankment…