Corps announces action plan for improved safety at Gathright Dam

Posted October 2, 2009
By Mark Haviland
Norfolk District Public Affairs

10/02/2009 - NORFOLK, Va. — Officials from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, met with Alleghany County and Covington leaders today to discuss the Corps' plan to improve safety at Gathright Dam, which is located on the Jackson River 19 miles upstream from the city of Covington in Virginia's Alleghany and Bath counties.

The plan is a response to Gathright's Dam Safety Action Classification, or DSAC, rating received Sept. 2, according to Bill Sorrentino, chief of the district's engineering, construction and operations division, which operates the facility.

Corps experts assessed and assigned the Gathright Dam rating of DSAC II or "potentially unsafe." The rating includes a risk-informed screening process, which considers current dam behavior, how well the dam meets current design criteria, as well as the potential consequences of dam failure. The screening process identified three unconfirmed safety issues at Gathright which merit further study and analysis, said Sorrentino.

"We're confident there is no evidence to suggest an emergency situation exists or is about to occur at Gathright Dam," said Col. Andrew Backus, Norfolk District commander. "Public safety is our top priority and we've taken immediate action to reduce potential risk at the facility. Throughout fiscal year 2010, we'll investigate the concerns raised by the inspectors and take the necessary corrective action."

During the evaluation of Gathright, inspectors expressed concerns about possible increased seepage at the toe, or downstream edge, of the dam and an undetermined flow rate a quarter mile downstream.

Immediate risk reduction actions taken at the facility include reducing the Lake Moomaw water level by one foot per week and conducting inspections three times a day.

District officials also plan to increase remote electronic monitoring of the site by December. Throughout fiscal year 2010, district scientists and engineers will conduct a series of investigations and studies using state-of-the-art methods, Sorrentino said.

"For 30 years, we've routinely inspected and monitored Gathright to ensure compliance with the Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety," said Sorrentino. "What is new is how the Corps assesses our dams and is incorporating risk concepts into dam safety management, routine activities and programming decisions."

The Corps implemented the DSAC system in 2005 to prioritize funding, studies and remedial work for 610 dams maintained by the Corps nationwide. DSAC I is the rating assigned for the highest risk dams and DSAC V dams are considered safe and in compliance with current criteria. The system also prescribes a policy for developing and implementing risk reduction measures at dams receiving low ratings, Sorrentino said.

The Corps' Dam Safety Program is critical to addressing our nation's aging infrastructure, reducing the risks of flood and storm damage, and ensuring Corps owned and operated dams are operated safely and minimize risk to the public, Backus said.

"The primary objective of the Corps' Dam Safety Program is to maintain public safety by making sure the dams we own and operate are safe and risks to the public are minimized," Backus said. "A key component of that objective is maintaining active and open communication with the communities downstream from the facility."

The first step in that communication process was today's meeting with city and county officials, he said. The district has also established a Web site at www.nao.usace.army.mil/gathrightsafety.asp and will keep the public informed through traditional and social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Backus will also answer public queries at his blog, www.armyengineersnorfolk.blogspot.com/.