Legislators probe dam safety needs; state plans maintenance and design work for several high-risk reservoirs

Engineers and agency staff told lawmakers that several state-owned dams need design or maintenance work and described current monitoring and management steps to reduce risk while rehabilitation is scheduled.

Mike Brown, chief of planning for the State Public Works Division, presented a $1.9 million maintenance project for South Fork Dam near Elko to replace a worn primary outlet sluice gate and an emergency-spillway gate. "The primary outlet gates have worn down creating vibrations when operated," Brown said, describing the operational problems that prompted the maintenance request.

Keith Conrad of the Division of Water Resources and other agency engineers described the condition of Eagle Valley Dam in the Eagle Valley Reservoir and said that monitoring indicates seepage and possible sediment transport at the outlet; the dam is classified as high hazard and was built in 1965. "There's evidence of seepage through the dam," Conrad said, noting downstream vegetation and discoloration at the outlet as indicators. He said the arrival time for flood waves from a hypothetical breach would be about 45 minutes to an hour for downstream residents in Carlin, which he said provides some time for notice but remains a serious operational concern.

Conrad and other engineers told the subcommittee they actively manage reservoirs and monitor instrumentation (piezometers, relief wells) to track internal water levels and accept that gate and spillway work is best done when inflows are low. Brown said the South Fork pieces will require divers, barges and other specialized construction.

The Department of Wildlife presented planning and maintenance projects at Eagle Valley Reservoir, Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area and Key Pittman WMA. The Wildlife Division said the Eagle Valley planning project would provide design through construction documents to rehabilitate outlet works, concrete spillways and add monitoring wells and seepage drains; the agency requested $2.8 million for that planning effort and characterized the dam as being in poor condition.

Members asked why some dams had not been rehabilitated earlier. Conrad said deferred maintenance and limited available funding across many state-owned assets were factors: "Typically, it's not uncommon for dams throughout the state to not get regular maintenance... it's deferred maintenance," he told the committee.

Lawmakers also pressed timing concerns: a dam inspection report recommended completing certain recommendations within two years, but the construction timeline presented by staff projected later completion dates for some projects. Agency staff said they prioritize monitoring, make interim operational changes where needed and seek appropriations to complete design and construction work on the highest-risk items.

No formal votes were taken at the hearing. Agencies said they would proceed with design and scheduling once appropriations are decided and continue monitoring conditions in the meantime.