Rapidan Dam before and after satellite images

Come to think of it, that dam never gave way, the river bank did. Right? Kudos to the engineers who built the dam. Damn, that dam stands! 💪

I think the remnants of the dam should be dynamited to allow the river course to straighten again & stop the erosion caused by the diverted water course. This may also allow the roadbridge foundations to be strengthened before it too fails. Perhaps a new dam (if really necessary) can be built later in a more stable location after surveying etc

Never underestimate the power of flowing water.

The river was like, "I don't like this dam here, I think I'll go around it."

I know this is a very sad story for the family that lived and worked at this place, but you could argue that the river is going to be far healthier after this event once the silt and deposits have been flushed through the system. Hopefully the community will help the shop and house get established again.

Engineers will agree this is an amazing testament to the strength of early 20th century engineering. That dam didn't move a foot.

Strange, and so many people are claiming that the actual dam failed. When in fact the high waters found the easiest path of resistance around one end of the dam and eroded the material (dirt) away. The dam is completely still standing.

Maybe try side by side images of the critical area. Flashing different orientations one at time is not good. It takes a couple seconds to get my bearings, then the view changes.

I never saw the before of this place, now it's obvious that the Dam itself never failed at all, the water just said "screw you" and cut into the terrain around it.

Mother Nature wins again.

This isn't about a failure of the river bank or how the structure of the dam is still holding. This is about the people that oversees the operation of the dam. They are total failures and should be held accountable financially and criminally. They left the dam clogged with the debris not allowing the proper flow to be restored. If they would have taken even a little time to push aside the debris this flow could have slowed and possible not have had the entire legacy of that family destroyed. The Dam will be destroyed no matter what anyway. it has not footing on one entire side. They could have demolished part dam to maintain the flow until the waters slow. They have said that a surge of only 2 feet would have been felt down stream if the dam collapsed at the highest level anyway. This shows the total level of incompetence on people taking care of the existing infrastructure in that area. It isn't like that dam was even generating electricity any longer. It is useless as was this destruction. Pathetic.

This is how oxbows are made.

It was probably cheaper to let that guy's house be destroyed, than to rent a crane and remove the debris blocking the dam.

The water created its own emergency spillway.

Man, the bridge is worrisome.

I would be concerned that the river just might try to change course and bypass that 180 degree bend just upstream from the dam. People that invest money in riverfront property have to be aware of the risk of damage from floods.

After Harvey I’m thinking of a double wide with pontoons.

Y’all need to get a family of beavers up there fast! Humans can’t do this job alone! 🦫

Nature finds a way!

It looks to have been a beautiful place to stop and visit. Tragic that the buildings were lost. A lot of decisions lie ahead as what to do. I hope the river banks can be stabilized quickly.