Virginia dam faces imminent failure; public boat ramp, pond, road closed

An emergency has been declared at a Virginia pond due to the imminent failure of the dam, and state agencies are working on stabilization to prevent further damage.

Staff members from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources were dispatched to the dam at Gardy’s Millpond near the Westmoreland and Northumberland counties border on Saturday. The dam is located on the Hampton Hall Branch, a tributary of the Yeocomico River which flows into the Potomac River.

DWR has closed the public boat ramp located at the pond and is advising the public to stay clear and not recreate in the water. In addition, the Virginia Department of Transportation has closed Route 617 (Gardy’s Mill Road) to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

DWR staff observed erosion occurring around a box culvert emergency spillway on the dam. DWR notified the state dam regulatory authority, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and began efforts to lower the upstream reservoir surface elevation below that of the breach to limit further damage to the dam.

On Sunday, DWR issued emergency declarations for the imminent failure of the dam.

A DWR contractor is onsite and beginning emergency stabilization of the dam, including installing sandbags around the eroded portion to the left of the box culvert, to reduce further damage to the dam itself and to help protect associated infrastructure.

A VDOT-maintained secondary road, Route 617, passes along the embankment crest and over the two spillways (primary and emergency). The road will remain closed until the emergency declaration is cleared and more detailed engineering assessments are performed. No time estimate regarding the reopening of the road is available at this time.

The maintenance of the dam at Gardy’s Millpond was assumed by DWR in 1969, and the dam was most recently inspected in September 2024 by a third-party consulting engineering firm.

This is an evolving situation, and DWR  is urging the public to stay clear of the area and heed all signage and road closures. This ensures the safety of the public and gives the department space to work safely on stabilizing the dam quickly as heavy rains are anticipated in the area over the next few days.