Abandoned dam in Oklahoma City a threat to life and property for more than 20 years

Editor's note: This story is part of an analysis of climate and U.S. dam data by USA TODAY network reporters, including The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer. Thousands of dams pose a growing threat to nearby communities as the climate changes. Nearly 3,000 have been flagged as being in poor or unsatisfactory condition, including Oklahoma City's Overholser dam and the ones in the story below.

More than 20 years have passed since the Knight Lake dam was declared a “high hazard” that needed immediate repairs to avoid a potential flood that would damage nearby apartments and pose a threat to public safety.

The dam in northwest Oklahoma City is one of seven in Oklahoma County listed as high hazards, but unlike the other privately owned structures, the Knight Lake dam has nobody to claim it. A USA TODAY network investigation shows thousands of dams are in need of repair and vulnerable to increasingly volatile weather patterns.

The Knight Lake dam’s condition was deemed to be poor throughout the 1990s, and records show owners at the time failed to respond to repairs requested by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Since then, ownership and responsibility has been in legal dispute.

More:Live near a dam? It could be crumbling, threatening homes and lives as heavy rains increase

Zachary Hollandsworth, engineering director of the water resources board, sees no solution anytime soon even as the threat to hundreds of nearby residents remains.

“The spillway is in very poor condition,” Hollandsworth said. “It’s got insufficient flow capacity beyond just being damaged. There are trees and vegetation all along the downstream of the embankment.”

Other deficiencies identified during inspections include seepage through the bottom of the dam that has created a permanent wetland; deep pedestrian and bike trails cut into the face of the dam and a utility pole mounted on the dam’s shoulder; and trees, bushes and other vegetation that are potential conduits for erosion.

Knight Lake is one of several bodies of water dammed in the 1960s and 1970s as the Northwest Expressway corridor was developed with thousands of single-family homes and apartments luring families to live in the Putnam City Public Schools district.

Two of those lakes, Regal and Pines East, also have dams listed as being “high hazard” structures, but unlike the Knight Lake dam, homeowners’ associations have taken responsibility and are working on repairs.

Yet another dam at the former Sportsman’s Club, now a senior residents center owned by the Chickasaw Nation, is in the midst of being repaired by the tribe after being deemed a high hazard.

More:What happens if a dam fails? An inside look at the Overholser dam's nightmare scenario

“None of these are like Knight Lake,” Hollandsworth said. “It’s an awkward situation. The actual ownership of the dam is dispute.”

Georgie Rasco, executive director of Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma, believes the risks posed by privately owned dams make them too dangerous to not be taken over by local government.

Beyond maintenance, neighborhood associations have been confronted with questions about how to operate dams. The Silver Lake neighborhood association was sued by the family of D’angelo Williams after he drowned in floodwaters in 2020. The neighborhood is not far from Knight, Pines East and Regal lakes. The Silver Lake dam has been flooded multiple times over the years with at least once instance of a motorist needing to be rescued by firefighters.

More:More than 200 U.S. dams have failed in rain storms since 2000. See if your community is at risk

“It’s an absurdity that neighborhoods are saddled with maintaining dams that affect their own residents and also others downstream with flooding,” Rascoe said. “This was a pizza delivery driver who drove over the dam and the neighborhood was responsible for putting up a sign when there was too much water. He went across it, got swept up in the water and died.”

Rascoe said developers were eager to build dams and create lake amenities to entice homebuyers, and a survey of advertisements for Knight Lake from the early 1970s described the area as a “fisherman’s paradise.”

Rascoe suggests Oklahoma City should look at other cities that have taken over maintenance and operation of private dams.

“These neighborhoods cannot keep up,” Rascoe said. “And if a dam breaches, it will flood neighborhoods within 14 hours. It’s an economic problem, but our city needs to wake up and address it.”

Rascoe also wants the city to look at whether developers should be subjected to more oversight when they choose to dam up water for new neighborhoods.

“We cannot continue to add to the problem,” Rascoe said. “There isn’t anyone to help you. There is no cavalry coming. You are on your own.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Privately owned dams in OKC area listed in 'poor' condition