Lake of the Woods residents question the state's dam classification ["LOW restates dam objections," Nov. 20].
We understand that Virginia's Soil and Water Conservation Board believes that our main dam meets their standards to be a Class I, High Hazard Impounding Structure. This means we must increase our spillway capacity to the tune of $6 million.
Does one hand know what the other is doing? VDOT has only two culverts under State Route 3, which have been at full capacity on more than one occasion handling our existing spillway.
Their engineers must have studied our dam and the watershed that feeds it. When upgrading to a dual highway, wouldn't they have evaluated their water runoff requirements on a cost-risk-benefit basis?
It is obvious that VDOT believes it has built a roadway that will be safe to travel on during severe storms. How can the Soil and Water Conservation Board evaluate our situation so differently?
And they talk about 37 inches of rain within 24 hours? Nowhere in the U.S. has that yet happened.
I would hope that this unrealistic demand from the Soil and Water Conservation Board could be put on hold until an appeal is made to
Kevin Matteson
Orange