ARS | Publication request: USDA earthen embankment dams: Defining the problem

Submitted to: Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: February 10, 2009
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: It is estimated that there on the order of 2 to 9 million earthen dams in this country with 80,000 large or significant enough to be placed on the National Inventory of Dams (NID). This is an infrastructure that has significant issues related to: aging components; sedimentation; and changing hydrology, population demographics, land use, and dam safety laws. The NRCS is engineer on record for 26,000 of the dams on the NID and 11,000 of those dams are part of the USDA "Small Watershed Program." The National Rehabilitation Amendment of 2000 has helped set into motion a program of addressing the infrastructure issues relevant to the Small Watershed Program, and the 2009 Stimulus Package has provided much needed additional funds for rehabilitation. This presentation defines the issues for the USDA and covers many of the past and present challenges for these dams.