Richmond Dam called highest priority: commissioners seek $13 million to finish repair project

Commissioner Brock Greenfield of the Department of School and Public Lands asked the committee for a $13 million appropriation to complete the Richmond Dam replacement and spillway project, saying the dam is the agency’s top priority and that a breach could cause catastrophic damage to downstream communities.

The office’s engineers estimate the full project — a 1,700‑foot cutoff wall excavated up to 105 feet deep plus a new labyrinth‑type spillway and bridge — will cost about $25.924 million. The commissioner said prior legislative appropriations and federal assistance have reduced the remaining ask; the department now proposes to finish the project in a single phase to avoid higher costs from multiple stagings.

Public-safety stakes and federal funding

Greenfield told the committee that the Office of Water Rights calculates a dam breach could place approximately 1,790 people and 640 structures in the inundation zone, and would put downstream travelers and portions of Aberdeen at risk. The department has previously received partial funding: a 2022 appropriation and a 2024 FEMA award and other earlier money. The federal High Hazard Potential Dam grant program will provide $2.941 million toward the project, Greenfield said.

Project schedule and scope

Barr Engineering — the consultant on the design — described the near‑term timeline: final design expected this spring, solicitation and contract award later in 2025, construction beginning this fall with primary work continuing through calendar year 2026 and spillway work into 2027. The cutoff wall is specialized work; Barr said qualified contractors exist but will be in high demand.

Local and statewide effects

Speakers from Aberdeen and conservation groups described the dam as important to local recreation and economic activity and warned that failure would affect agriculture and river systems well beyond the immediate floodplain. The commissioner emphasized the cost of deferral: multiple construction phases and emergency remedial work could raise overall project cost and increase risk.

Committee action

Committee members questioned timing, emergency designation and whether staged construction would be more or less costly. The department said it has spent under $800,000 so far on investigations and design and asserted that completing the full scope now would be most cost‑effective. The committee deferred action on the bill and will take it up at a later date.

Ending: The department requested the remaining $13 million to avoid staged work and complete a single, larger repair and replacement project. The committee will revisit the appropriation when it resumes disposition work.