(Photo provided) This photo shows Upper Grave Creek Watershed Site 9 along Green Valley Road and Fletcher Hill Road near Cameron.

CAMERON – Marshall County’s emergency officials held a meeting in Cameron Wednesday evening to discuss what residents should do in the case of a flood control dam failure in the area.

Underground longwall mining conducted in the area has already damaged Upper Grave Creek Dams No. 7 and 9.

To help prevent a potential dam failure, officials have been removing water, also known as dewatering, from the dams to relieve stress on the structures after heavy rainfalls.

Cameron Elementary School Principal Catherine Folmar on Thursday said school officials have been working with Tom Hart, director of the Marshall County EMA, and Cameron Police Department Chief Shawn Allman on the emergency plans.

“The plan is to go to the second floor,” Folmar said. “We’ve had three drills so far.”

Folmar said the building does not have a third floor, but does have a flat roof.

She noted Hart will also inform the school if it needs to dismiss students early or cancel school if necessary.

“We’re lucky to have Tom and Shawn making sure everything is going well and we’re safe,” Folmar said.

Hart said damage to two dams have been detected.

“Based on monitoring instruments that were installed by the Northern Panhandle Conservation District and the West Virginia Conservation Agency, Upper Grave Creek Dam Sites 7 and 9 experienced damage due to subsistence from mining passes that occurred in November 2024 and September 2025,” Hart said.

In addition to the elementary school emergency plan to move to the upper floor, “if any significant rainfall were forecasted short term or long term, school and public safety officials would determine whether or not to hold in person instruction and utilize flexible instruction options,” he said. “In the event school was already in session, an early dismissal or relocation of students and staff to Cameron High School could occur.”

Underground longwall coal mining is being conducted in the area including under the dams by American Consolidated Natural Resource, previously Murray Energy. ACNR owns the mineral rights under Upper Grave Creek Dams 7, 8 and 9, which are located about a mile from the city.

The Northern Panhandle Conservation District owns and operates the three dams, categorized as high-hazard status. According to the West Virginia Code of State Rules Series 47-34, the failure of a Class 1 High Hazard dam may result in loss of life and major damage to property.

Meetings regarding the dams started being held prior to the longwall mining starting in the area.