Evacuations underway with threat of Lynchburg's College Lake Dam failing

Severe weather in Lynchburg is causing evacuations for some as a dam may fail.

With the threat of the College Lake Dam failing, evacuations for those who live near the dam in the Blackwater Creek Trail area are underway, according to the Lynchburg Department of Emergency Services.

At this time, the dam has not failed and is being closely monitored by emergency personnel for any signs of structural failure, according to the National Weather Service.

If a complete failure of the dam occurs, the water depth at Lynchburg could exceed 17 feet in 7 minutes.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for the Blackwater Creek below the dam has been issued until 3:15 a.m.

At 10:01 p.m. the Lynchburg Water Resources Department reported that 4 to 6 inches of heavy rain earlier in the evening has caused College Lake to fill beyond its capacity and that 12 to 18 inches of water are flowing over Lakeside Drive into Blackwater Creek.