Hope Mills began work on a new dam this week. It's been 13 years since the original earthen dam washed out, taking Hope Mills Lake with it.
Mayor Jackie Warner called Thursday's groundbreaking "very exciting."
"It's been a determined and sort of a impatient wait just to get to where we are today because everybody wanted water sooner."
Under past leadership, the town hired inexperienced contractors to build a replacement dam in 2008, and it failed just two years later. Hope Mills won $9.4 million in a settlement.
Warner says the town commission carefully vetted Schnabel Engineering and ASI Constructors before hiring them for a new dam project.
"This time we tried to do a better job. We got a contract in place. We've been diligent in our work and tried to get answers to all of our questions before we ever broke ground. So, I'm comfortable that you know we've got all the things in place that this will not only be a new dam, but a dam that will last."
The new $8.9 million dollar dam should be in place by next spring.
