Leaks were discovered recently in the base of the spillway for the Burke’s Mill Pond dam, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is working with the Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast to determine the cause and develop a course of action. The leaks have caused a Stage 2 Emergency at the dam, which is located near the bridge on Burke’s Pond Road in Gloucester. This is “a medium emergency,” said Regional Dam Safety Engineer Brenton Payne of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and it means that conditions are developing that, if left unaddressed, could result in the dam failing. Payne, whose office oversees all 2,000+ dams across the state, said the leak that occurred “carried a fair amount of soil out underneath,” and if that were allowed to continue, there would be no soil to support the dam, leading to collapse. Imminent collapse is a Stage 3 Dam Emergency and would be cause to close roads and call for downstream evacuations, he said. The B...