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Sen. Edd Houck introduces bill that could block need for new spillway at Lake of Woods dam Date published: 1/14/2010
BY ROBIN KNEPPER
Lake of the Woods may not have to build a second spillway on the dam of its main lake after all. That's the chatter around the Orange County subdivision after the news got out that state Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania County, had introduced legislation Tuesday that would negate the state's dam-safety regulations. Senate Bill 276 says, in effect, that dams that don't comply with dam-safety regulations can continue to operate if the owner of the dam has adopted an emergency-action plan--as LOW has. The legislation would require the state's Soil and Water Conservation Board to issue regular operation and maintenance certificates to dam owners until money is made available by the state through the Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund to pay for dam improvements. Once the state made that funding available, dam owners would have to comply with all the dam safety regulations. The fund, established in 2006 to make grants and loans to dam owners, has a balance of $1.3 million at this time and additional funding is not expected. The fund paid (through the Virginia Resource Authority) $500,000 to LOW last year, half of the $1 million granted to LOW last January to get the homeowners association to agree to build the second spillway on its main lake. "The dam-safety regulations are flawed because they're based on a theoretical model that was pushed through at the same time the sky was falling on state revenues," Houck said yesterday. "If the intent is to protect life and property, we need to make sure the emergency-action plans are as rich as they can be. That's better than forcing a theoretical rainfall model down dam-owners' throats." The LOW dam is considered high hazard because its failure would probably cause loss of life and severe property damage. Numerous homes and businesses are located in the dam's inundation zone. Because of the high-hazard designation, the spillway must be able to discharge the water that results from a probable maximum flood--37 inches of rain in 24 hours. The existing spillway can discharge two-thirds of the PMF.
trumps a safe dam. Try that one on someone else. I have no dog in this fight except doing what's right to protect PEOPLE. YOU have an inherent conflict of interest and you place your $ above human welfare. You KNEW there was a dam there when you moved. Be responsible for it.
Tamerlane,
I don't know where you get your information, but you couldn't be more wrong! I reside in Fawn Lake and I know that our association has been in contact with Sen. Houck about our dam. This bill will have a positive impact for us and for all privately owned dams, not just LOW. I recommend that you get your facts straight before you hit the "send" button next time!
I support Senator Houck's assessment that the current regulations need to be changed. I'm surprised as to why he took this approach though - by saying that until funds become available, an emergency action plan is all that's needed. Perhaps because we all know that funding will probably never be made available. either way - he's right - these regs are ridiculous and affect hundreds of dams in Virginia - many of which are state owned dams. Its not just LOW. There are others in the greater Fred area.
the other homeowner's assns in your distrcit? Let's have some sugar for eveyone. There is not a scintilla of anything but pork for LOW in your bill. What's a PLAN? Calling lists, a siren... to alert folks downstream that you are gonna die cause somebody is too cheap to pay for their own PRIVATE RECREATIONAL lake. Pull the teeth out of some more safety regs, maybe the benficiaries of that newly unsafe condition will vote for you too. Hide this one in a giant stack of bills Edd!
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