Balsam Mountain Preserve failed dam

Balsam Mountain Preserve has failed so far in its promise to make things right following a dam break that unleashed a wave of sediment into more than eight miles of mountain streams, according to state and federal environmental agencies. Balsam Mountain Preserve, a 4,400-acre development in Jackson County promoted as eco-conscious, has not acted quickly nor aggressively enough to clean up the sediment, according to agency reports. Meanwhile, the window to catch the sediment and get it out of the creeks is narrowing. And in some cases, neglect to keep tabs on sediment traps stationed along the creeks is causing even more erosion, according to the agencies. The dam held back an artificial pond used for irrigation of the golf course. It was constructed of packed earth — 36-feet high at its tallest point — that was pushed downstream by the wall of water behind it. When the dam broke, the initial sediment plume reached eight miles from Balsam Mountain Preserve to the Tuckasegee River, clogging Sugarloaf and Scotts creeks as it went, and continuing another dozen miles to Lake Fontana. Wildlife experts believe the mud slurry killed most fish and aquatic life in Sugarloaf and Scotts creeks.