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Department of Ecology News Release - March 14, 2008
08-065
OLYMPIA – The Department of Ecology (Ecology) is conducting a statewide inventory of dams on small reservoirs that may not comply with state safety regulations. The dams are often used in farming for frost control and to store irrigation water.
In recent years, five dams that were not properly inspected and permitted have failed, causing flooding and property damage downstream. Ecology’s Dam Safety Office is asking owners of unpermitted dams to voluntarily get their dams inspected and obtain all necessary permits.
An orchard owner from the Royal Slope area whose unpermitted dam failed estimated he lost $100,000 replacing four acres of producing trees uprooted by a dam breach flood. In the Walla Walla area the owner of an unpermitted dam estimated its failure cost him some $200,000 in one season’s fruit production.
“We’ve been fortunate that the several dam failures we’ve had in Washington state have not resulted in a loss of lives, as has occurred elsewhere. Now we’re asking the owners of unpermitted dams to come forward and cooperate with Ecology to get their dams inspected and permitted,” said Dam Safety Supervisor Doug Johnson.
Aerial photographs are now available for all areas of the state and unpermitted dams and reservoirs can easily be identified. Several unpermitted dams being used as frost control ponds have been spotted in central Washington, Johnson said, and their owners will be notified.
Orchard owners often use frost control ponds instead of smudge pots or wind machines to minimize frost damage to budding trees for orchard owners. Spraying a fine mist of water serves to raise air temperatures a critical degree or two as the mist freezes.
A water reservoir for any use capable of storing 10 acre-feet (3.26 million gallons) or more above ground level falls under Ecology’s authority in RCW 90.03.350. Ten acre-feet of water is equivalent to a football field, eight feet deep. Owners of reservoirs holding less than 10 acre-feet may still be liable for property damage if their dams fail. Even reservoirs not requiring permits should be designed by licensed engineers and inspected periodically.
Ecology’s Dam Safety Office is asking owners of unpermitted dams to contact Ecology for an initial inspection and then to hire an engineer to provide recommendations on how to bring their facilities up to current safety standards. Owners who voluntarily come forward before Sept. 1, 2008, and cooperate with Ecology to obtain permits for their dams will not be penalized. Owners who fail to correct deficiencies and obtain all needed state permits could face fines of up to $5,000 a day. Ecology can also order dangerous dams to be drained and removed.
To contact Ecology’s Dam Safety Office, write:
Department of Ecology Dam Safety Office
P.O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504-7600Phone: (360) 407-6623
E-mail: djsd461@ecy.wa
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Media Contact: Dan Partridge, 360-407-7139, cell 360-480-5722 , e-mail dpar@ecy.wa.gov
For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/dams/dss.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
