Several Dover homes intentionally flooded to help Zoar

DOVER -- Water was released from the Dover Dam Tuesday afternoon to alleviate pressure and prevent flooding of historic Zoar Village in Tuscarawas County.

Enough water was released to flood the property of about eight to 10 homeowners in Dover. Channel 3 News crews in Dover report the water covered backyards and some seeped into the crawl spaces of the houses.

Most of the homes had already been evacuated. The release of the water was to prevent further flooding in threatened areas such as Zoar, where a levee was being shored up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Corps today said the extra precautions taken with the Zoar Levee should prevent any further seepage and that the threat of a levee break or leak was remote, even with the rain expected later today.

They said the worst of the flooding for that area is over.

In fact, the flood waters in Zoar have begun subsiding and evacuees are invited back home.

The village was saved; making operation gravel blanket is a success.

"Yeah, we're really thrilled about it," Army Corps Chief Engineer David Meadows said.

The original plan in the worst case scenario included flooding most of Zoar to relieve the pressure on the levee.

Unfortunately, some Dover homes took a hit to save Zoar.

The second phase started this morning as the corps started draining the Dover Dam at a rate that dumps 27 percent more water than yesterday. It flooded the homes in Dover just below the dam.

Mike Moore and his family have so far been winning the ground war with the dam. He's using a sub pump to hold the water at bay in his crawl.

Moore moved his sister and mother to higher ground.

"I got to stay here to keep the water off my floor joyces," he said.