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Fallon County moves to proceed with dam inspections, pursue DNRC grant
Summary
County officials reviewed upper and lower dam inspection tasks, monitoring obligations and funding options with DNRC; commissioners authorized applying for five-year dam evaluation assistance and tied inspection scheduling to grant coordination.
Fallon County commissioners on Friday reviewed a detailed inspection and monitoring plan for the county'owned upper and lower dams and agreed to apply for state financial assistance to cover inspection costs.
County staff briefed the commission on work completed and outstanding items required by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), including stage-storage calculations (completed), reservoir-level monitoring (ongoing), vegetation and debris removal (annual), seepage checks through 12/31/2026, and coordination of breach analysis and inundation-zone mapping (not yet contracted). The county reported the upper-dam inspection had been scheduled with DNRC and that staff planned to align the lower-dam inspection to the same contract to consolidate work and funding.
"The stage storage computations for Baker Lake are complete," a county staff member told the commission, noting the computations would be provided to the county and to DNRC. The presenter said the county should expect to hire an engineer from DNRC'approved lists if it chooses to bundle both inspections and pursue the grant funding.
Commissioners asked staff to confirm monitoring marks, clarify whether existing elevation instrumentation remains in place and to finish a loss-of-life analysis (required by 2030) sooner if practical. The county also discussed water-management logistics for the dams, including how reservoir gates tie the upper and lower lakes and the order in which stored water might be used for irrigation or held for fire response.
In a formal action, the commission voted to sign and submit the financial-assistance application for the five-year dam evaluation program, authorizing the chairman to execute the paperwork and directing staff to continue coordinating with DNRC and the engineering contractors. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Why it matters: The inspections and related hydrologic and geotechnical studies are prerequisites for state compliance and for eligibility for various grant programs. Tying the upper- and lower-dam work together could reduce overall costs and improve consistency in the county's emergency-action planning and breach analyses.
What's next: County staff will provide DNRC with requested documentation, pursue contracting with DNRC-approved engineers as needed, and return to the commission with updated cost estimates and a proposed timeline for the remaining work.
