Some call for state agency to monitor dam safety

As director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, Roy Gober has concerns about tornadoes, ice storms, chemical spills and other disasters striking the county.

Far down on his list of worries is the possibility that one of the three Tennessee Valley Authority dams in the county will break and cause widespread flooding.

"I have a lot of confidence in TVA," Gober said. "They do a good job monitoring their dams, and when there is a problem, they take care of it."

But while dams owned by utilities such as TVA and Alabama Power are closely monitored for leaks, many privately owned dams and some owned by local governments are not inspected or maintained. Alabama is the only state that does not have an agency that monitors dam safety.

TVA completed a major renovation of its Bear Creek Dam near Hodges earlier this year that was aimed at plugging leaks that have plagued the earthen structure since it was completed in 1969. Crews are now working to seal leaks in Little Bear Creek Dam west of Belgreen. Holes are being drilled into the base of the dam to allow concrete to be pumped into the mound of earth and stone to prevent water from seeping through its foundation.

TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said the agency's dam safety staff had been monitoring seepage issues at Little Bear Creek Dam for more than a year before deciding to repair the dam. TVA officials have said there is no threat of the dam collapsing.

He said TVA follows strict federal guidelines mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to inspect all 49 dams in the TVA river system every five years. The inspections are summarized by FEMA in a report the agency produces every two years. TVA also performs intermediate inspections, including monthly checklist inspections as well as special inspections if an event, such as a nearby explosion, occurs.

"TVA has an intense inspection program in place to ensure safety," Brooks said.

Gober wishes all earthen dams were maintained as well as those on TVA property.

"All earthen dams leak. If you don't take care of the leaks, a little leak can become a big one that causes major problems," he said.

In 2008, Sloss Lake dam, which is owned by the city of Russellville, began leaking, causing emergency agencies in Franklin to consider evacuating homes downstream from the impoundment that borders Alabama 24. Gober said police were prepared to begin evacuating residents living near the dam as the leaks reached the point that the dam was in danger of collapsing.

Emergency responders were able to use large pumps to lower the level of the lake and reduce pressure on the dam.

Gober said a state agency responsible for monitoring dam safety in Alabama would be helpful.

"Having somebody who could go around inspecting the dams to make sure they are safe would be money well spent," he said.

State Rep. Randy Wood, R-Anniston, introduced a bill in the 2009 legislative session that called for forming a state dam safety agency, but it failed to win approval. Wood plans to introduce the bill again in 2010.

"I'm typically not in favor of expanding government," Wood said. "But when there are times when people fail to look after something properly themselves, we need the government to step in and make sure that they do what they are supposed to. We need to take steps to make sure the dams around the state are kept safe.

"There are a lot of dams around the state that have never been inspected to make sure they are safe since they were built 20, 30, and even more than 50 years ago."

State Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies charged with dam safety do an adequate job in Alabama.

"I don't see where we need to create another state agency," he said.

Larry Childers, director of communications and information for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, said the agency is working to develop an inventory of all dams in the state and the risks they pose to people living downstream. The results of the survey will be shared with state lawmakers in hopes of encouraging them to create a dam safety agency.

"We believe the availability of this data will be a valuable tool for the Legislature and others interested in dam safety," Childers responded in an e-mail.

The Department of Economic and Community Affairs estimated there are more than 4,000 dams in Alabama. About 94 percent of those dams are earthen. The average height of the dams is 26 feet.

"Because Alabama does not have an official dam safety program, there is currently no requirement that dam owners report a breach or failure to any one agency," Childers wrote in his e-mail. "To the best of our knowledge, there has been no loss of life due to a failure, but significant property loss has occurred."

On Nov. 24, 2004, the St. Clair Emergency Management Agency reported a dam break that caused significant structural damage to private property. On July 16, 2004, the dam at the Mobile County Public School System's Environmental Studies Center failed. During Hurricane Ivan, 270 homes below the East Lake Dam in Birmingham were evacuated for fear of a potential dam break. Childers said there might have been other dam failures that were never reported.

Wood said the strongest opposition to his efforts to create a state agency for regulating dam safety have come from local governments in south Alabama.

"There's some city officials who don't want us snooping around their dams," Woods said. "We need to be able to inspect those dams to make sure they are safe. We need to become proactive with dam safety and not just reactive by responding to disasters after one fails."

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.