Printer-friendlyEnvironment DEC
From the May 2008 issue
Agreement Signed to Improve Dam Safety at Reservoir No. 2 in Ilion
Under an enforcement order announced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Village of Ilion, Herkimer County, will address significant deficiencies at its Reservoir No. 2 dam to become compliant with state dam safety standards that protect the public. The order requires that the village pay a $10,000 penalty and abide by a schedule of inspections, engineering reports and work which ensures public safety. These actions are necessary to address documented structural deficiencies at the dam. The final determination about what activities will be conducted at the dam to bring it into compliance will be made following the village's engineering evaluation and with DEC oversight. The agreement calls for all construction to be completed by October 31, 2010.
DEC inspectors gave the dam an "unsound" rating due to seeps and sloughing on the dam face
DEC sent a letter to the village informing them of the dam condition rating of "unsound." Inspections had found seeps and sloughing on the face of the dam. Previous engineering evaluations of the dam failed to show the dam was built in accordance with accepted engineering standards. A rating of "unsound" means that the safety of the dam cannot be ensured, and the state directed the village to take specific actions to bring the dam into compliance with safety standards. Additional inspections last year showed that the village had not made the dam safer, prompting DEC to initiate an enforcement action for violation of the state's dam-safety regulations.
DEC assigns a hazard classification to dams based on the potential damage that could occur in the event of uncontrolled releases. The dam for Reservoir No. 2 is assigned the highest hazard classification, "Class C." If failure of a high-hazard dam occurs, it could cause loss of life and seriously damage homes, industrial or commercial buildings, important public utilities and main highways and result in severe economic loss.
