Cultural Center Lake Dam

The Cultural Center Lake Dam is a meaningful resource for the Lumbee Tribe, serving recreational and cultural functions for the community it sits within. As a High Hazard structure, it carries a regulatory requirement for a current, documented Emergency Action Plan that reflects accurate contact information, up-to-date notification procedures, and a clear understanding of downstream conditions.

The Tribe’s existing EAP was outdated and did not follow the current NCDEQ-required format. It also needed to account for any changes in downstream development since the prior study, and to establish clear responsibilities among Tribal staff and local emergency responders. The Tribe needed a document that was ready for regulator review, easy to follow during an actual emergency, and straightforward to update on an annual basis going forward.

RiskHydro completed a thorough desktop review of the existing EAP and supporting documentation before beginning the update. That review shaped every decision in the revised document, from how procedures were written to how contacts were organized. Key tasks included:

• Compiling a fully updated EAP using the current NCDEQ Dam Safety template, structured to meet regulator expectations and support future annual updates
• Reviewing available dam breach and inundation documentation to confirm that no significant downstream development changes had occurred that would require new hydraulic or inundation analysis
• Updating emergency contact lists for Tribal leadership, on-site staff, NCDEQ, local responders, and Robeson County Emergency Management
• Refining notification procedures and flowcharts to clearly establish responsibilities and reduce ambiguity during a dam-related incident
• Updating access descriptions and providing emergency routing guidance that accounts for roadways that could be affected by dam failure conditions
• Coordinating review with Tribal leadership to confirm that the final document aligned with how the Tribe actually operates and communicates

The updated EAP was approved by NCDEQ Dam Safety on the first submittal, allowing the Tribe to close out a longstanding compliance obligation without the back-and-forth that often comes with regulatory documents. More than that, the Tribe now has a document that actually works: one that emergency responders can follow during a real incident, and that Tribal staff can update each year without starting from scratch.

• NCDEQ-approved on first submittal, eliminating revision cycles and keeping the project on schedule
• Fully updated EAP using the current NCDEQ Dam Safety template, ready for annual updates without major rework
• Verified downstream conditions without requiring new hydraulic or inundation modeling, keeping costs and timelines in check
• Clearer procedures and roles for Tribal staff and emergency responders, reducing uncertainty during a high-stress situation
• Improved emergency routing guidance that reflects local road conditions and potential dam failure inundation extents
• Strengthened community preparedness for a structure that serves residents, roadways, and cultural facilities downstream