Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conservation Commission seeks recurring funds to repair aging dams, expand cedar-control program
Summary
Executive Director Trey Lamb told the subcommittee the Oregon Conservation Commission manages 2,107 small flood-control dams statewide, has a growing backlog of urgent repairs and seeks $3 million (one-time/recurring discussed) for priority dam repairs plus funds to expand cedar-control technicians and unpaved‑road work.
Trey Lamb, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, told the Appropriations and Budget subcommittee the agency’s locally led conservation districts manage more than 2,100 small flood-control dams and other watershed infrastructure across the state and face a growing backlog of repairs.
"We have 2,107 small flood control dams across Oklahoma," Lamb said, calling them ‘‘$2 billion of public infrastructure’’ that provides annual benefits and protects roads, bridges and communities. Lamb and staff showed maps and photos of dams with wave and erosion damage and said some repairs now cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per structure.
The commission described work its district network carried out during recent droughts — cleaning ponds and installing wells and watering facilities — and said those efforts preserved livestock and local economies. Lamb said the commission had responded to drought with programs that helped more than 7,200 landowners and delivered roughly $30 million in drought assistance supplemented by private cost share.
On wildfire risk and brush fuels, Lamb urged funding to control eastern red cedar and related woody species. He described a three‑pronged approach of research, technician crews for mechanical mulching and prescribed burns, and community brush-free zones. The commission asked for $2.1 million to expand cedar-control work into additional watersheds (Washita and Fork of the rivers) and said a statewide program would require approximately $10 million to operate; the request included $330,000 for staffing in the near term.
Lamb also described the agency’s unpaved roads erosion program, which trains county crews and provides grants to prevent road-side erosion that sends sediment into streams. The program provides up to a $75,000 matching grant per project and engineers assist with designs; officials said the approach reduces recurring maintenance and downstream water quality impacts.
For dam safety, the commission asked for $3 million to repair additional high‑priority dams. Lamb said many dams are now classified as high‑hazard because development has placed homes downstream of older rural dams; the federal government often provides 65% cost share for rehabilitation and the commission said it expects federal matching to continue under future farm bill provisions.
Lamb closed by asking for a 5% market salary adjustment to retain district staff and technical operators, citing recruitment and retention difficulties, and asked the committee to consider making some recent one‑time appropriations recurring to address the maintenance backlog.
Committee members pressed for details on costs, staffing and timelines; Lamb said costs vary widely by repair and engineers prepare bid estimates and actual bids inform final costs. No formal votes were taken during the hearing.
