Recent emergency in California reinforces urgency for action in this state
THE COUNTY LINE
Sonny Brasfield Executive Director
Leadership will be needed to address Alabama’ s problem with dam safety
Recent emergency in California reinforces urgency for action in this state
6 | COUNTY COMMISSION
It ' s a long way from Oroville to Montgomery. Almost 2,500 miles to be exact. But it didn ' t take long for the news of the evacuation of almost 200,000 people to travel the distance from Northern California and make us stand at attention back in mid-February. When the nation ' s tallest dam was in peril – as its spillway eroded under pounding rainstorms and those below the dam were threatened with a 30-foot wall of water – my thoughts instantly returned to failed efforts to establish a dam safety program here in Alabama.
On the heels of the breach of a small dam in Shelby County, a few organizations came together back in 2014 and kicked around the idea of passing legislation to establish a dam inspection program in Alabama. As the only state in the nation without some kind of program, the reaction to the Oroville threat was predictable and appropriate.
Yet, today, there is no statewide inventory of dams in Alabama, no standards for quality construction and no requirement for regular evaluation. Yep, it’ s a long way from Oroville to Montgomery.
Back in February, The Montgomery Advertiser reported on the state ' s unfortunate distinction, citing several sources to make the point. The American Society of Civil Engineers stated in 2015 that information on Alabama dams is " incomplete " and a similar evaluation from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials pointed out that the " condition of most dams in Alabama is unknown," the newspaper said.
In fact, only the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has any decent information on the
Alabama situation, the story reported. The Corps estimates that Alabama has more than 2,200 dams and that only 2 percent – or less than 50 of them – are inspected. And those undergo review only because they meet federal regulatory tests and are subject to federally-required annual inspections and the development of emergency action plans.
The threat in Oroville was real. But tragedy was avoided as the dam eventually held its ground, despite significant damage to both the main and bare slope spillways. As the tallest dam in America, the aftermath of a complete failure is almost beyond our imaginations.
A couple of days later, my phone rang early one morning and the familiar voice on the other end of the phone began to express concern about Alabama ' s lack of review of the dams that dot our state ' s landscape. As both a state and national leader among county engineers, his voice always demands attention with those who shape public policy. And he was concerned.
Together we recounted that unsuccessful effort back in 2014, a movement pushed along initially because of a dam breach in his area. As the unified voice for county government in Alabama, the Association and a team of county engineers were participants in that initiative. Honestly, we failed to take on a real leadership role for a variety of reasons. And, without a catalyst for change, the legislative effort failed to gain any momentum.
Right now, in the midst of the 2017 legislative session, it seems a bit distracting to start thinking about a piece of legislation that isn’ t even on the drawing board. Admittedly, the issues surrounding counties right now