ALBANY - A state audit released Tuesday identified major problems with the state's dam safety programs, including lax oversight, staff shortages and outdated policies from 2004 through early 2007.
“The dams we focused on, with most of them there wasn't the imminent threat of failure in any way,” said Jennifer Freeman, spokeswoman for the state Comptroller's Office. “The concern is the DEC does not have the enforcement power to ensure those owners make the necessary repairs.”
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has responsibility for dam safety. In February, the DEC proposed new regulations that would require owners of about 1,000 dams in New York to keep detailed design and modification records, as well as operation, maintenance and emergency action plans available for state inspection. Many of the 4,000 others are small and pose little hazard.
“There were literally no enforcement actions for years,” said Jim Tierney, DEC assistant commissioner for water resources. “In the last year we have issued administrative consent orders for remedial work at 15 dams. We have 12 other enforcement actions under way.”
Citing a high-profile dam failure and some dangerous deficiencies found the past few years, the agency in February said it has increased its dam safety staff statewide from three to 20, and the proposed regulations clarify that its enforcement authority applies even to smaller dams.
That proposal followed the audit of dam safety programs under three years of Gov. George Pataki's and two months of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's administration. Freeman said it addresses many of the auditors' concerns.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said given the number of dams identified as in continuous disrepair, DEC enforcement authority should be expanded so the agency can take action against owners who fail to fix deficiencies within a reasonable amount of time even if there's no imminent threat of dam failure.
The DEC said last month its staff has completed inspections over the past few years of all 389 high hazard dams, those whose failure would pose a serious threat to downstream communities. The agency proposed that owners of larger dams have to schedule inspections by a professional engineer at least every 10 years to determine if their classification remains accurate.
The DEC is taking public comments until May 17 on its proposal and scheduled hearings.
In July 2005, about 200 homes in a northern New York village were evacuated after a recently rebuilt dam crumbled. It was at the south end of the mile-long Hadlock Pond in Fort Ann, about 55 miles north of Albany.
The same year, emergency repairs began on an aging dam just north of the Catskills that serves New York City's drinking water supply to protect 2,500 upstate households and businesses. They would have been in the path of some 20 billion gallons of water if the 80-year-old Gilboa Dam failed. The $24 million project, finished in 2006, included installing 80 anchoring cables to pin the dam to the bedrock. A $315 million reconstruction project is scheduled to start this year.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has responsibility for dam safety. In February, the DEC proposed new regulations that would require owners of about 1,000 dams in New York to keep detailed design and modification records, as well as operation, maintenance and emergency action plans available for state inspection. Many of the 4,000 others are small and pose little hazard.
“There were literally no enforcement actions for years,” said Jim Tierney, DEC assistant commissioner for water resources. “In the last year we have issued administrative consent orders for remedial work at 15 dams. We have 12 other enforcement actions under way.”
Citing a high-profile dam failure and some dangerous deficiencies found the past few years, the agency in February said it has increased its dam safety staff statewide from three to 20, and the proposed regulations clarify that its enforcement authority applies even to smaller dams.
That proposal followed the audit of dam safety programs under three years of Gov. George Pataki's and two months of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's administration. Freeman said it addresses many of the auditors' concerns.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said given the number of dams identified as in continuous disrepair, DEC enforcement authority should be expanded so the agency can take action against owners who fail to fix deficiencies within a reasonable amount of time even if there's no imminent threat of dam failure.
The DEC said last month its staff has completed inspections over the past few years of all 389 high hazard dams, those whose failure would pose a serious threat to downstream communities. The agency proposed that owners of larger dams have to schedule inspections by a professional engineer at least every 10 years to determine if their classification remains accurate.
The DEC is taking public comments until May 17 on its proposal and scheduled hearings.
In July 2005, about 200 homes in a northern New York village were evacuated after a recently rebuilt dam crumbled. It was at the south end of the mile-long Hadlock Pond in Fort Ann, about 55 miles north of Albany.
The same year, emergency repairs began on an aging dam just north of the Catskills that serves New York City's drinking water supply to protect 2,500 upstate households and businesses. They would have been in the path of some 20 billion gallons of water if the 80-year-old Gilboa Dam failed. The $24 million project, finished in 2006, included installing 80 anchoring cables to pin the dam to the bedrock. A $315 million reconstruction project is scheduled to start this year.
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