The Cost of Rehabilitating Our Nation's Dams. A Methodology ...

ATTACHMENT 4 – MODEL LAW FOR STATE SUPERVISION OF ALOW INTEREST REVOLVING DAM REHABILITATION LOANPROGRAMChapter 1. Vision, Declarations and PurposeArticle 1. Vision1000. The loss of lives, property, and environmental and cultural damage caused by damfailure floods is a matter of deep concern to the State affecting the life, health, property, andvital utility lifelines of the people. Regardless of ownership, funding must not stand in theway of safety of dams that present a public safety risk.Article 2. The following are declared:2000. Dams are inherently hazardous structures because of the energy that can be releasedby elevated stored water.2001. Many privately owned dams in the State present public safety risks if they were tofail. Many of these privately owned dams also provide public benefit.2002. Dam safety is an issue of growing national, regional and State importance as:(a) Like any man‐made infrastructure item, dams age.(b) With age comes potential deterioration. Minor issues can grow into larger compoundingproblems. The risk of failure increases.(c) Many dams were built before downstream areas become heavily populated. Thisongoing development below dams continues to increase the risk to more lives and property.(d) The number of dams continues to increase.2003. Inspections alone will not make dams safe.2004. Many privately owned dams and many local government owned dams in the Staterequire rehabilitation, repair, or removal in order to reduce their public safety risk to areasdownstream.2005. In order to begin reducing the public safety risk downstream of dams within theState, the State Legislature hereby creates the Dam Rehabilitation Loan Program Fund, andappropriates XX million dollars as an initial appropriation to the Fund.42