The Town of Aberdeen has received a $437,074 Disaster Grant from FEMA to help pay for the repairs to Aberdeen Lake dam and spillway according to a news release from the town.

The Aberdeen Lake dam and spillway, built in the 1940s, has been a source for enjoyment for the community over the years; however, the lake has been drained since 2016 as the result of damaging rain from Hurricane Matthew. The sluice gate was damaged by the force of the large volume of water from Hurricane Matthew. As an emergency protective measure during the time of the Hurricane, the gate was released manually by using chains and a truck to release excess flood waters. The sluice gate and spillway piping will need to be repaired as a result of damage from manually opening it. The Aberdeen Lake has been drained since the damage occurred so the repairs can safely be made.  The Town of Aberdeen is anticipating to have the repairs done in 18 months. The town is hopeful that during the early stages of the repair, the lake will be refilled with water by the use of a coffer dam that will protect the work-site during repairs.

Paul Sabiston, the Town’s Manager, stated, “Restoring water to the Aberdeen Lake and repairing the sluice gate are the first priorities for this project. Additionally, we hope to perform some basic repairs to the dam structure itself which is now over 70 years old. We are grateful to FEMA for recognizing our need to repair this important piece of public infrastructure”.

The Disaster Grant is awarded for public assistance in declared disaster areas through an intense application and review process.

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