| Dam safety
According to Borys, the most common failure modes identified for the system of these Salt Creek dams are overtopping that may result in a dam breach, followed by spillway erosion that may cause a breach through the spillway, and finally, concentrated leak erosion along the conduit which is an internal seepage failure mode. “We are brainstorming any possible ways the dam could have an unintentional release of water,” Borys said. “We discuss the existing conditions of the outlet works, consisting of the intake, conduit, and stilling basin, along with the embankment, foundation, and abutments and how these features will perform at various pool elevations.”
Branched Oak Dam was built in 1967 by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Salt Valley Lakes flood control project. It captures water from Oak Creek, a tributary of Salt Creek, during high runoff events to help control flooding. It is one of ten Salt Creek dams that work together to help reduce flood risk for the city of Lincoln and surrounding communities. The 7.3km2
Branched Oak Lake sits behind the
dam and is part of the Branched Oak State Recreation Area managed by the state of Nebraska’s Game and Parks Commission. The area provides fish and wildlife habitat, water resource benefits, and recreational opportunities such as fishing, boating and camping. Borys emphasised that while there hasn’t been any significant flooding from Salt Creek in recent years, dams cannot prevent all floods
Awareness Day In the US, a Dam Safety Awareness Day is
commemorated each year on 31 May, serving as a reminder that while dams provide valuable services to communities nationwide, none are risk free. Speaking about the US Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Programme, Louisville District Dam Safety Chief Kate Brandner said: “The Dam Safety Programme’s primary goal is to ensure the safety of the dams in our inventory, prioritising public safety. We do this through a risk informed approach; constantly assessing the projects. Through risk assessments, we consider external events and what risks they pose to the projects, like large flood events, earthquakes, along with the performance of the projects, assessing consequences that would occur should an issue develop at a project. We use all available resources to ensure that the projects are performing as well as they can and document what needs to be done to have continued good performance of the projects.” In addition to Brandner, the Louisville District Dam
Safety team consists of 12 other members. “Leading teams through periodic inspections and
day-to-day requirements in dam safety is incredibly rewarding,” Brandner said. “It enables me, as an office worker, to engage with operations personnel that know and care about their projects, and hopefully provide them with some guidance as to how we as an organisation can continue to have our dams performing safely. I have found that I can be a
Far left: Members of a dam inspection team from the Omaha District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, along with other agencies, inspect the spillway of the Branched Oak Dam in Nebraska during June 2025. A periodic inspection of the dam is conducted every five years to identify potential defects and to ensure the dam is functioning as designed. The dam is one of 10 Salt Creek dams that work together to reduce flood risk for the city of Lincoln and surrounding communities (US Army Corps of Engineers photo by Delanie Stafford)
Above left: Matthew Borys (left) and Layal Bitar, US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District civil engineers, inspect the spillway of the Branched Oak Dam (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Delanie Stafford)
Below left: Members of the dam inspection team finish inspecting the intake structure of the Branched Oak Dam (US Army Corps of Engineers photo by Delanie Stafford)
Below: Civil Engineer Tommy Aldmeyer (left) and Structural Engineer Jeffrey Schulz, from the Omaha District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, finish inspecting the outlet conduit of the Branched Oak Dam (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Delanie Stafford)
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