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Dam investments vital to agricultural communities

 

By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

URBANA, Ohio — In an effort to rehabilitate and assess aging dams across the nation, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $73 million will be invested in 150 such projects in 23 states. The ultimate goal is to protect people from harm, secure public health and expand water supplies in drought-affected areas.
Utah and Oklahoma will see the most dam restoration projects, with 19 and 18 respectively. There are four dam projects for this region, however; Ohio has three areas of concern while Kentucky has one.
“If no action is taken to address the upgrades needed on our three structures, it could have a significant impact for hundreds and hundreds of people, including loss of life, destruction of vital property and in some cases affect agricultural land,” said Christina Coulon, public affairs specialist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Restoration projects in Ohio include the East Fork of Buck Creek Watershed in Champaign County (with five dams), Upper Wabash Watershed in Mercer County (three) and the Rush Creek Watershed bordering Fairfield and Perry counties (19). Nearly $60,000 has been allotted for these projects.
“Most of these restoration projects are earthen dams, and agriculture is the basic industry in these watersheds,” Coulon said. “These structures protect the economic viability of the downstream cropland. All three sites in Ohio were first constructed in the early 1960s and they are in desperate need of repair. Over half of the dams need rehabilitation.”
Ohio has 78 small flood control dams in 11 watersheds. Twenty dams are more than 40 years old and 49 percent are more than 30 years old. According to Coulon, there are 28 high hazard dams and 35 medium hazard dams.
“Rush Creek Dam, for instance, is in good condition but due to development downstream it no longer meets dam safety requirements,” she said. “There are 425 acres involved here and there are three homes approximately 1,300 feet downstream from the dam.
“Failure of the dam could result in the loss of life, could overtop state Route 37, damage cropland, roads and other structures. All told, this project would provide thousands of dollars in benefits.”
In the East Fork of Buck Creek project, agriculture is the basic industry in the watershed and protecting the cropland downstream is of high concern, Coulon said. “The Upper Wabash project is a highly intensive agricultural area, and in fact, Darke and Mercer counties have regularly ranked as the top agriculture counties in the state.”
In Kentucky the lone area of immediate concern is the Red Lick Creek multipurpose structure (MPS) near Berea. The MPS is the main source of water for more than 37,000 residents in Madison and Garrard counties, as well as providing flood protection to more than 300 acres of land below the dam, which includes eight residences, two businesses and several county and state roads. Just over $19,000 has been allocated for this project.
“Many of these earlier constructed dams were designed for a 50-year life expectancy,” said Sonya Keith, planning engineer with the Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service. “Concrete and metal used in the principal spillways, for instance, have deteriorated and in some situations public safety and health are at risk.”
Since 1948 more than 11,000 small flood control dams have been built in 2,000 watersheds in 47 states. And many are in need of an overhaul.
“Millions of people depend on watersheds and dams for protection from floods and to provide safe drinking water. With a changing and shifting climate, dams are also vital to holding stores of water for use during drought,” Vilsack said. “By investing in this critical infrastructure, we are helping to ensure a safe, resilient environment for agricultural producers and residents of rural America.”
4/23/2015