EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Cement Lake in West El Paso remains under close watch as crews work around the clock to lower water levels and reinforce the dam following earlier concerns about a possible breach.
Officials said response efforts at the lake have increased, with El Paso Water coordinating with local emergency management.
“We’re in coordination now with the city county office of emergency management, they have activated the emergency operations center to support our response efforts… we continue monitoring,” El Paso Water spokesperson Denise Parra said.
El Paso Water said crews worked overnight and made progress removing more than 9 feet of water from the lake, bringing the utility closer to its goal of lowering the lake by 10 feet.
Parra said, “We’ve moved in the right direction, and as we make progress of the feet of water in inches going down, we are reassessing.”
RELATED: EPWater: Upper Valley dam must drop 10 feet to prevent overflow; roads stay closed
El Paso Water previously warned of a potential dam breach after the utility acquired the water source and 300 acres of land last month from the Texas Department of Transportation.
Officials said in a statement that an assessment of the dam was not done before the acquisition.
Despite the earlier concerns, El Paso Water said residents are not in danger of potential flooding, even with a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service.
As of today, crews have resumed earthwork to reinforce the southern portion of the dam.
Parra urged residents to avoid the area. “Any guidance for residents, do not enter that area stay alert look out for El Paos water and office of emergency,” she said.
El Paso Water continues draining water, and road closures in the area remain in place.
RELATED: EPWater warns of possible Cement Lake Dam failure, NWS issues flood watch
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