The reservoirs and dams in the Muskingum River Watershed that help protect the region and its residents from the ravages of flooding will be effective for generations to come.

In what was termed “a truly historic moment in this great watershed,” the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) Board of Directors agreed to enact a plan of maintenance and major rehabilitation of the aging infrastructure that reduces flooding and conserves water during a special meeting today (Aug. 28) in Zanesville. The $210 million plan will be funded by an assessment of nearly 500,000 property owners in the watershed beginning in 2008.

“It’s been analyzed, reported and confirmed that the system of reservoirs and dams in the Muskingum River Watershed has and will continue to provide billions of dollars worth of benefits, including protecting lives and property,” said John M. Hoopingarner, MWCD executive director/secretary. “This plan is focused squarely on public health and safety by properly maintaining and rehabilitating the aging structures and reservoirs.”

Board members then almost immediately began the maintenance process by approving a resolution to participate in the installation of a temporary anchor relief project for Dover Dam on the Tuscarawas River. The Board agreed that the MWCD will serve as the local cost-share partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the project, which will begin sometime before the end of this year. Through the agreement, the MWCD will provide approximately $25,000 to $35,000 of the total estimated cost of the work of between $500,000 and $1 million, or more than $20 of federal investment for each dollar of investment by the MWCD.

“This project will help protect the dam and reduce the risk of any movement or failure of it until a more permanent solution is finalized and constructed,” Hoopingarner said. “This is an example of exactly what kinds of projects the assessment funds will be used for – work that protects public health and safety, improves failing and aging infrastructure and involves a small investment by the MWCD that will return larger investment in the system and this great watershed.”

A more comprehensive plan for major rehabilitation of Dover Dam is being finalized by the USACE, which has placed an initial cost estimate of $100.8 million on the work. The project is expected to begin in 2009 and as the local cost-share sponsor contributing less than 3.5 percent of the cost, MWCD will pay around $4 million toward the maintenance and repairs of the concrete dam located north of Dover on the Tuscarawas River.

Announcements about other projects will be made in upcoming months, Hoopingarner said, including locations and timelines.

Meeting in the Welcome Center at Zanesville, Hoopingarner said the meeting site was a return to the MWCD’s historical roots. Members of the Zanesville Chamber of Commerce began the planning process in the 1920s that led to the development of the MWCD and the system of reservoirs and dams in the watershed that have prevented billions of dollars worth of potential property damage and saved countless lives.

The special meeting of the Board of Directors was scheduled after a recent ruling from the Conservancy Court that confirmed that the projected benefits are greater than the anticipated costs in the MWCD’s plan. The Court, which by law has jurisdiction over the MWCD and consists of one common pleas court judge from each of the 18 counties in the MWCD region, recently heard testimony about the plan and the benefits it will produce.

The MWCD asserted in testimony before the Conservancy Court that billions of dollars of projected benefits will come from its plan as compared to the $210 million that is expected to be collected through the assessment of property owners over the next 20 years. Witnesses testified that a whole range of benefits are received by the owners of property located within the MWCD region, including flood reduction, access, water quality, water supply, tourism spending impacts, land preservation, environmental quality and construction impact.

The MWCD, a political subdivision of the state, was organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan for flood reduction and water conservation in the Muskingum River Watershed. By 1938, 14 reservoirs and dams were constructed. According to the MWCD’s plan, an estimated $10.5 million annually would be generated from property owners in the MWCD region for public health and safety projects to safeguard the system of reservoirs and dams.

In a study of the watershed, national, state and local experts and agencies identified more than $200 million worth of needed projects in the system that are the responsibility of the MWCD.

A large portion of the collected assessment funds would be used to meet federal cost-share obligations for safety repairs at several dams. The USACE, which owns and operates the dams in the Muskingum River Watershed, estimates safety costs for maintenance of four dams (Beach City, Bolivar, Dover and Mohawk) and one levee (Zoar) on a federal priority list is between $510 million to $680 million, with a federally mandated cost-share obligation from the MWCD of between $95 million to $135 million.

The MWCD manages the reservoir areas behind the dams in the Muskingum River Watershed. The reservoirs, some of which have permanent pools of water (lakes) for water conservation and recreation programs, hold floodwaters temporarily for safe release downstream during flooding conditions.

Most of the work to be completed in the MWCD maintenance plan, including partnering with the federal and state governments, as well as other local and interested participants, would be cost-shared with other agencies and would lead to the protection and creation of jobs in the region.

The work plan details the estimated costs and locations for projects to be completed in many categories, including:

• Dam Safety and Dam Safety Assurance
• Flood Warning and Dam Operations System
• Debris removal in streams
• Road relocation and elevation
• Property boundary survey
• Dredging reservoirs
• Reduction of shoreline erosion
• Assist with solutions to hydrogen sulfide production at the reservoirs
• Water quality monitoring
• Correction of acid mine drainage issues
• Reservoir inspection and maintenance

The MWCD has projected that 94 percent of the nearly 500,000 parcels subject to the assessment would pay an annual fee of $12 per year. According to the Ohio law that oversees conservancy districts, the assessment fee is collected as a part of a property owner’s regular county property tax collection. Projected assessments can be reviewed online at the MWCD website at www.mwcd.org, and the MWCD also can be contacted toll-free at (877) 363-8500.

The MWCD has used the income from its recreational facilities and the stewardship of its lands, waters and other natural resources to fund all of its operations to date. This has included the funding of the local share required by federal law for dam repair work. The rising costs associated with safety upgrades and maintenance in the system of reservoirs and dams are more than the MWCD can generate from its traditional revenue sources.

The counties wholly or partially contained in the MWCD jurisdiction are Ashland, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Washington and Wayne.