Monday, Feb. 13, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Backs DNR Recommendations on Dam Safety Improvements
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt today announced his support for the Missouri Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) recommendation to step up dam regulation in the state and asked the General Assembly to make statute changes this session.
“It is not acceptable to be behind the curve when it comes to protecting our families,” Blunt said. “We must ensure dams are used safely and responsibly in our state. Dams and reservoirs can be valuable resources, but they must be appropriately monitored to protect Missourians from harm.”
The governor is calling for changes that would bring Missouri law in line with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s model dam safety law standards. He recommends changing the definition of dam to include both height and maximum storage volume guidelines and recommends changing hazard classifications to focus on risk to citizens as the main factor in determining the level of oversight. For example, a high hazard dam would be defined as “loss of one or more human life is probable or expected.”
Blunt also recommends eliminating existing exemptions for agricultural uses, dams regulated under the Federal Power Act, and dams constructed for conservation or irrigation. In addition the governor is calling for all high hazard and significant hazard dams at least 25 feet high or that have 50 acre feet of storage to be inspected at least every five years by a licensed professional engineer.
Currently Missouri regulates about 600 dams. Changes to Missouri law could bring that total to 5,000.
DNR’s report was submitted to the governor in response to his call for a comprehensive study of Missouri’s dam safety laws and regulations compared to other states following a breach of the Taum Sauk reservoir that released 1.3 billion gallons of water, devastating Johnson Shut-Ins State Park and flooding the Black River basin. The Federal Energy Regulation Commission oversees the Taum Sauk reservoir, but the incident raised questions surrounding state regulated dams in Missouri.
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