Soil & Water request targets Category 1 watershed dam maintenance, cites federal cost-share
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Summary
The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission told the appropriations subcommittee it seeks funds to maintain Category 1 watershed dams and emphasized that regular maintenance reduces the state's rehabilitation costs because USDA NRCS will cost-share large repairs.
Officials representing Georgia’s Soil and Water Conservation district told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development that the agency seeks increased funds for maintenance of Category 1 watershed dams, which present a potential loss-of-life risk if they fail.
The agency described three classifications: Category 1 dams (potential loss of life on failure), Category 2 dams (potential loss of structures but not life), and permitted dams that meet Georgia Safe Dam Act standards. The presenter said there are about 200 Category 1 watershed dams across the state, about 170 of which are owned by soil and water conservation districts, and roughly 60 are currently permitted.
The presenter described routine maintenance actions that would be funded — mowing and spraying of vegetation, cleaning and repair of risers and small pipe issues — and the types of heavier rehabilitation work crews perform when needed. The agency said its routine maintenance in FY 2024 covered 62 dams at a cost of about $165,000 (an average just shy of $2,700 per dam).
The Soil and Water representative told the committee that rehabilitation projects are costly: the agency’s recent average rehabilitation cost was roughly $7.4 million. In rehab scenarios the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will cost-share about 65% of those costs, leaving the state responsible for roughly 35% — a structure the presenter framed as a fiscal reason to invest in maintenance to avoid larger state expenditures later.
The agency said it is also preparing a study to evaluate breaching or closing dams that are not currently permitted and intends to share that study with the House, Senate and OPB when available.
