OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — Oconee County officials are warning residents to stay away from a raging creek.
Residents say Calls Creek is dry most of the year, but sustained heavy rain is pushing the creek to its limit.
“I hope the dam holds,” resident Louise Roth said.
Officials closed Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville to keep people away from the rushing water.
“We’re just asking people to stay off of the roads, if possible. Definitely don’t come down here to the park,” Watkinsville Police Sgt. William Horton said.
Officials told Channel 2’s Matt Belanger they’ve had a handful of road closures because of the flooding during heavy downpours.
A leaking underground pipe nearby caused a large chunk of earth to give way, jeopardizing a dam.
Residents in the Briar Lakes subdivision were encouraged to evacuate.
Crews installed a new pipe to help drain the upper lake, but they won’t be able to stabilize the ground until the weather clears.
One resident said she has been parking her car elsewhere and walking home because driving across the dam makes her nervous.
“We’re been trucking through the mud through the orchard to get home,” Brooke Ussery said.