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Conservation Agency details flood planning, Brush Creek rehabilitation and dam-certification costs
Summary
The West Virginia Conservation Agency told the Senate Finance Committee it has a $12.4 million budget request, reported a net $550,000 improvement for an agricultural enhancement program, described Brush Creek rehabilitation procurement delays and projected multi-year costs for dam certification and rehabilitation.
Judith Lines, executive director of the West Virginia Conservation Agency, presented the agency's budget posture and program updates to the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 21, outlining current appropriations, recent adjustments and multi-year infrastructure priorities.
Lines said the agency's FY26 appropriation request totaled $12,417,443 and that the governor's proposed budget reinstated a requested 2% increase. She said the agency experienced a net improvement of $550,000 after a $600,000 cut and has applied that funding to the agricultural enhancement program to provide ongoing base support. "That 550,000 that we got, we applied that to our agricultural enhancement program," she told the committee.
Lines described program work on the Chesapeake Bay nutrient-load reductions (where the agency has met or exceeded goals), the revived Stream Protection Restoration (SPARC) program and a congressional grant for flood hazard mitigation planning in McDowell, Mingo, Wayne and Wyoming counties. She outlined procurement delays on Brush Creek rehabilitation phases due to high bids and federal slowdown but said bids for Brush Creek 15 were opened and awards expected soon, with construction slated to start in March.
The agency also discussed dam safety planning: Lines said engineering certifications and periodic stamps will be required for roughly 170 dams, with property acquisition and easements likely to be part of some rehabilitation efforts. She offered a six-year projection of roughly $6,060,000 in anticipated costs for dam-related work and said the agency is operating with a tight budget and limited fat to cut.
Lines answered senators' questions about per‑diem adjustments for conservation district supervisors, emergency flood-response funding and monitoring expenses tied to Upper Great Creek, where the agency spent $431,000 on baseline monitoring and has recovered $320,000 from a mining company so far.
What comes next: Lines said the agency is not requesting new supplementals for FY27 because prior appropriations remain to be spent on phased rehabilitation; the committee may follow up on procurement timing, federal grant coordination and staffing vacancies.
