TWCA Virtual Mid-Year Conference 2020

1. Texas Dam Safety Program
Warren D. Samuelson, P. E., Manager
Dam Safety Section
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

2. Dam Safety Program
• Total dams -- 7,321
• Total non-exempt dams -- 4,058
• Total High Hazard Dams -- 1,491
• Total Significant Hazard, Non-Exempt
Dams -- 306
• Total High and Significant Hazard Dams
• 1,797
• Inspection every 5 years or 359 inspections
per year

3. Who has jurisdiction over these
dams?
•TCEQ
• 98.8% of dams are under state
regulatory authority
•This includes all 2,000 NRCS assisted
project (watershed) dams

4. Staff
•# of staff
•23 Engineers or Engineers in Training
•3 Others

5. Hazard Classification
• Based on potential damage to
downstream life, property, and
infrastructure
• NOT based on the condition of the dam

6. Hazard Classification
• Low Hazard
• No loss of human life expected
• No permanent habitable structures
downstream of the dam
• Minimal economic loss
• Dams located in rural areas where failure
may damage:
• Occasional farm buildings
• Limited agricultural improvements
• Minor highways

7. Hazard Classification
• Significant Hazard
• Possible loss of human life located in the breach
inundation area downstream of the dam
• 1 to 6 lives or
• 1 to 2 habitable structures
• Appreciable economic loss
• Damage to isolated homes
• Damage to secondary highways (Collectors)
• Damage to minor railroads
• Interruption of service or use of public utilities

8. • High Hazard
• Expected loss of life located in the breach
inundation area downstream of the dam
• 7 or more lives or
• 3 or more habitable structures
• Excessive economic loss to
• Public facilities (i.e. water/wastewater plants,
pump stations, power transmission facilities,
etc.)
• Agricultural, industrial, or commercial facilities
• Main highways (Arterials or interstates)
• Railroads used as major transportation
Hazard Classification

9. Exempt by Rule
• Owned and/or maintained by the Corps of Engineers,
International Boundary and Water Commission, and
Bureau of Reclamation
• Embankments constructed for roads, highways, and
railroads, UNLESS designed to also function as a
detention dam
• Levees and dikes
• Off-channel impoundments authorized by TCEQ
under TWC Chapter 26- Water Quality Control
• Above-ground water storage tanks (steel, concrete,
or plastic)

10. Exempt by Rule
Under 6 feet in height, not
a dam
NOT excluded if high or significant hazard

11. Exempt by Legislation
•Effective September 1, 2013
•No expiration date
•But can change based on not meeting all 5
criteria
•Dam owners still have to comply with
maintenance and operation requirements
•Guidance on Implementing Dam Safety
Legislation September 1, 2013 provided on
Dam Safety website

12. Exempt by Legislation
• Must meet all 5 criteria:
• Private ownership
• Does not include dams owned by municipalities,
water districts, utility companies, soil and water
conservation districts, counties, or state agencies
• Maximum impoundment less than 500 acre-feet
• Capacity taken at the top of dam
• Low or significant hazard
• Can change based on downstream development
• Located outside city limits
• Can change based on city development
• Located in a county with a population less than 350,000
• Per 2010 census
• Can change with 2020 census

13. Exempt by Legislation

14. Workshops

15. Workshops
1. TCEQ did 3 in 2019 with 272 people registered
2. Participated in a number of association and
professional meetings to discuss the program

16. Enforcement cases

17. Enforcement
1. Two cases were referred to the Office of
Attorney General for dams that had been
damaged during a flood and the owners
refused to either remove or repair.
2. Both cases were taken to court. The
owners finally took action after almost
being put in jail.
3. One case was resolved. The other has
not been resolved to date.

18. Dam Safety Section
TCEQ
MC-177
P. O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711
warren.samuelson@tceq.texas.gov
(512/239-5195)

19. Questions

20. Protecting Your Flood
Control Dams
Dam Maintenance, Repair, Rehabilitation,
and Upgrade
STEVEN BEDNARZ, P.E.
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR
TSSWCB
TWCA Mid-Year Conference
June 19, 2020

21. BACKGROUND
• 2,041 DAMS BUILT BY USDA-NRCS IN 150
WATERSHED PROJECTS IN TEXAS
• FIRST DAM BUILT IN 1948; LAST DAM BUILT IN
2008
• NRCS PAID FOR PLANNING, DESIGN, AND
CONSTRUCTION
• AFTER CONSTRUCTION LOCAL SPONSORS
WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR OPERATION,
MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF THE DAMS
• AVERAGE ANNUAL BENEFITS OF WATERSHED
PROJECTS IN TEXAS IS $151 MILLION

22. BACKGROUND
• LOCAL SPONSORS INCLUDE:
• Soil & Water Conservation Districts
(106)
• Counties (86)
• Cities (50)
• Water Control & Improvement Districts
(20)
• Other (22)

23. BACKGROUND
WATERSHED PROJECTS

24. BACKGROUND
WATERSHED DAMS

25. ANNUAL BENEFITS – ROADS & BRIDGES
COUNTY BRIDGE AND ROAD TOTAL BENEFITS
MONTAGUE $313,400 (283 BRIDGES) $2,269,200
WISE $286,300 (396 BRIDGES) $2,365,600
COLLIN $871,900 (485 BRIDGES) $4,178,000
COOKE $330,900 (219 BRIDGES) $1,458,000
COLEMAN $679,900 (795 BRIDGES) $3,381,600
No Upstream Dams

26. BENEFITS – SEDIMENT STORAGE
905 WATERSHED
PROGRAM DAMS
UPSTREAM FROM WATER
SUPPLY RESERVOIRS IN
THE DALLAS/FORT
WORTH AREA.
124,000 AC-FT OF
SEDIMENT STORAGE
CAPACITY.
570,000 AC-FT OF FLOOD
STORAGE.

27. PROBLEMS
• AS THE DAMS AGED, MAINTENANCE
AND REPAIR COSTS BECAME MUCH
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ANYONE
ANTICIPATED
• CURRENTLY, $14 MILLION IS NEEDED TO
GET CAUGHT UP ON MAINTENANCE
• 188 DAMS NEED REPAIR; ESTIMATED
COST OF $136 MILLION

28. PROBLEMS
• STORM DAMAGE
• SOMETIMES FEDERAL
EMERGENCY
WATERSHED
PROTECTION (EWP)
FUNDING IS AVAILABLE
• Federal 75%
• State 23.75%
• Sponsor 1.25%
From 2010 to 2015, over 15 dams were overtopped in Navarro County

29. PROBLEMS
• MOST OF THE DAMS ORIGINALLY
BUILT IN RURAL AREAS AS “LOW
HAZARD”
• URBAN DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE
DAMS AND DOWNSTREAM HAS
RESULTED IN OVER 500 DAMS BEING
RECLASSIFIED TO “HIGH HAZARD”,
BUT THESE DAMS DO NOT MEET
HIGH HAZARD CRITERIA
• ABOUT 20 DAMS PER YEAR ARE
BEING RECLASSIFIED TO “HIGH”
BECAUSE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT
• CURRENT COST TO UPGRADE 516
DAMS IS ABOUT $2 BILLION

30. PROBLEMS
(516 dams)

31. SOLUTIONS
• FEDERAL DAM REHABILITATION
PROGRAM (NRCS)
• FIRST FUNDING TO TEXAS IN 2002
• 27 DAMS HAVE BEEN REHABILITATED
AND UPGRADED SINCE 2002
• 12 DAMS CURRENTLY IN DESIGN
AND CONSTRUCTION

32. SOLUTIONS
• TEXAS STATE SOIL AND WATER
CONSERVATION BOARD (TSSWCB) FIRST
RECEIVED FUNDING TO ASSIST SPONSORS
WITH MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR IN 2010
• AVERAGE ANNUAL FUNDING OF ABOUT $7
MILLION
• AVERAGE COSTS PER DAM:
• $400,000 for repair
• $4,000,000 for rehabilitation or upgrade
• COST SHARE RATES:
• Maintenance – 90% State, 10% Sponsor
• Repair – 95% State, 5% Sponsor
• State Upgrade – 98.25% State, 1.75%
sponsor
• Federal Rehab – 65% NRCS, 33.25%
State, 1.75% Sponsor

33. SOLUTIONS
• ON JUNE 6, 2019, TSSWCB RECEIVED A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION
FROM THE ECONOMIC STABILIZATION FUND (ESF) FOR DAM
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS:
• $150 MILLION
• BASED ON A FLOOD CONTROL PLAN DEVELOPED BY TSSWCB
• ALL FUNDS MUST BE OBLIGATED IN CONTRACTS BY JUNE 5, 2021

34. SOLUTIONS
Ø CONTAINED IN THE ESF FLOOD CONTROL PLAN:
• 50 dam repairs
• 33 dam rehabilitations or upgrade
Ø SOME PROJECTS CANCELLED BY SPONSORS
• (lack of funds)
Ø SOME PROJECTS FEDERALLY FUNDED FOR REHAB PLANNING
• (will not be ready for construction by 2021)
Ø APPLICATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL PROJECTS:
• 21 dam repairs
• 14 dam upgrades

35. PROCEDURES
• SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS AND OTHER LOCAL
SPONSORS MAY APPLY FOR FUNDING FOR DAM
MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, REHAB, AND UPGRADE
• APPLICATION FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE ON THE TSSWCB
WEB:
• https://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/programs/flood-control-
program
• All sponsors responsible for the dam must sign the applications

36. WORK IN PROGRESS
• 25 DAM REPAIRS CURRENTLY IN CONSTRUCTION
• DESIGN WORK UNDERWAY ON 29 ADDITIONAL DAM REPAIRS
• 12 FEDERAL REHAB PROJECTS ARE IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
• 9 NEW FEDERAL DAM REHAB PLANNING STARTS IN 2020
• DESIGNS ARE UNDERWAY ON 20 STATE FUNDED DAM UPGRADES
• $5 MILLION STATE FUNDS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DAM MAINTENANCE

37. QUESTIONS?