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Fallon County moves to formalize dam-owner duties, requests DNRC work order for geotechnical analysis
Summary
County staff outlined DNRC inspection follow-up for the lower lake dam, recommended naming county contacts to carry out weekly elevation monitoring, and proposed bundling breach, loss-of-life and geotechnical analyses in a single funding application; commissioners directed staff to submit a work order and monitor seepage through next summer.
Fallon County commissioners reviewed a DNRC inspection of the countyowned lower dam and agreed to formalize responsibilities, document instrumentation and pursue funding for deeper geotechnical and hydraulic analyses.
Shannon (county staff) described the DNRC owner's-statement-of-intent form and said the county should list Rich and Desiree as day-to-day contacts while the commission retains sign-off responsibility. Shannon said DNRC recommended completing annual maintenance inspections between May and July and that a consultant (BJ) will submit a work order to deliver an emergency action plan and to help apply for funding covering breach, loss-of-life and hydraulic analyses.
Key details and next steps: Staff recommended simple, low-cost instrumentation (painted marks on the boat ramp tied to known benchmarks) with weekly elevation checks, and suggested monitoring a potential seepage location through the coming dry season to determine if formal remediation is required. Commissioners discussed bundling the geotechnical, breach and loss-of-life studies into a single DNRC funding application to improve chances for cost share; staff cautioned that DNRC funding could take two to four years to arrive.
Why it matters: The inspection sets legally significant maintenance and reporting obligations; commissioners must decide which staff or designee to assign responsibility, whether to purchase or borrow specialized equipment (boom mower or trackhoe) for vegetation removal, and whether to jointly seek DNRC funding for the full geotechnical scope.
What was agreed: Commissioners asked staff to submit the consultantBJ's work order, include stage-storage and instrumentation items in the scope, and prepare a draft owner's-statement-of-intent listing county contacts for the commission's signature. Staff will monitor the seepage weekly and report back if readings or rainfall patterns indicate a need for earlier intervention.
