DALEVILLE, Va. – A decades-old earthen dam at Orchard Lake in Daleville has sparked debate between county officials and residents over safety concerns and the potential draining of what locals consider a community treasure.
The dam, constructed in the 1950s using compacted soil and trees, currently fails to meet modern safety standards, leading Botetourt County officials to consider breaching it — a move that would effectively drain the lake that has become integral to the Orchard Lake neighborhood.
The controversy emerged after a 2022 mandate from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation required dam owners to create an inspection report and implement other safety procedures due to the structure’s high-risk classification.
Of particular concern is a high-pressure gas line running underneath the lake’s spillway. Residents warn that if the earthen dam fails, it could potentially cause damage extending up to 12,000 feet in all directions.
The dam’s ownership is split between Botetourt County and one homeowner in the Orchard Lake community. Rather than pursuing repairs, both parties have opted to apply for a grant to breach the dam.
“We have bird watching, we have families that were raised on the lake. This is a kayaking, boating [lake]. My daughter just took her engagement photos on there. We’ve had graduation pictures on there. I mean, this is a big deal. It’s a big lake,” said Linda George, an Orchard Lake resident who has decided to run as a write-in candidate for the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors over the issue.
George criticized the county’s approach, stating, “The county moved forward to go ahead along with the other owners... to submit the documentation to get this grant for breaching without ever researching what it would take to keep the lake intact or to lower the lake to levels that would be that we would be able to continue to have a lake.”
While the county proposed establishing a service district to tax the Orchard Lake neighborhood to help fund dam removal, many property owners have expressed reluctance to pay for a solution they oppose.
In response to community concerns, county officials have indicated they are reconsidering their options. According to a statement provided to Channel 10, “The Board declined to act on the proposed service district and directed staff to further investigate options, in addition to breaching the dam, and report back.”
Attempts to reach the other partial owners of the dam for comment were unsuccessful.