Press
Grass isn't always greener during a heat wave
Municipalities revising plans for dam
safety
Cities say work costly,
needed
Mid-Hudson
municipalities are preparing revised safety plans for some of their dams.
Above, men work Wednesday on the dam at Mill Pond in the Town of Mount Hope.
It's part of Middletown's water supply.Times Herald-Record/TOM BUSHEY
By
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 06/13/10
MIDDLETOWN — The state has
tightened up safety-plan regulations for dams, and it's going to cost you some
money.
Last summer, a new regulation
went into effect that requires all owners of high-hazard dams to submit an
emergency action plan, prepared by a professional engineer, to the state
Department of Environmental Conservation. Owners of medium-hazard dams must
also submit an action plan.
So local governments — some of
which, like Middletown and Kingston, own multiple dams on their reservoirs —
are working on new or revised plans for their dams to meet the state's
deadlines.
For Middletown, which is seeking
engineering proposals to develop new plans for three medium-hazard dams and one
high-hazard dam, plus revised plans for two high-hazard dams, the cost will
easily run in the tens of thousands of dollars, said Jacob Tawil, Middletown's
public works commissioner.
"It does make sense to do.
The question is, when it's mandated by the state, who would pay?" asked
Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano. "We have to make sure everyone who's
downstream of these reservoirs is protected."
"High hazard" means a
dam failure might cause widespread damage, with loss of life and major economic
impacts likely. Medium or intermediate hazard means failure may cause injury,
less extensive damage, and economic loss. Both Kingston and Middletown
officials say workers check their dams frequently, and they update
certifications annually with the DEC.
The City of Kingston has one medium-
and two high-hazard dams, and the updating work is under way, said Judith
Hansen, the city's water superintendent. The possibility of a dam failure is
very low, she said — but the consequences would be huge.
"It's very costly to comply,
but it has to be done," she said.
A number of local high-hazard
dams are publicly owned; the cities of Port Jervis and Newburgh have dammed
reservoirs. Other municipal owners include the towns of Cornwall, Goshen,
Newburgh and Warwick. And many of them, such as Middletown's and Kingston's,
are old. Kingston has dams dating to 1927; the Woodward Dam on Middletown's
Shawangunk Lake was built in 1900.
"These dams, they're old
structures, and getting older," Tawil said. "People take for granted
that they're going to last forever."
hyakin@th-record.com
