New legislation may help speed up completion of major Bluestone Dam rehab project

The long-awaited final stage of finishing the Bluestone Dam rehabilitation project may be getting a boost.

Both Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., issued statements Wednesday in support of the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, which includes urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to “expedite completion of the Bluestone Dam rehabilitation project.”

“The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) is the product of bipartisan work to tackle our nation’s water resources challenges,” Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said. “This legislation further enables the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address local and regional concerns while continuing to advance national priorities. For West Virginia, it means projects across our state will receive the resources and support needed to make progress on critical issues, such as addressing flood risk. WRDA 2022 is another example of commonsense, bipartisan collaboration on the EPW Committee and with our counterparts in the House to improve the nation’s infrastructure, and I look forward to voting to send it to the president’s desk.”

The WRDA authorizes key projects and studies to address water resources challenges across the country, including West Virginia, and supports the work of the USACE in responding to national and local priorities.

“I am thrilled the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is continuing its bipartisan efforts to advance the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, which contains several priorities I fought to include for West Virginia,” Manchin said. “This vital legislation addresses many of our concerns in West Virginia, including authorizing the Army Corps of Engineers to take additional measures to prevent flooding and explore building new hydropower facilities at existing dams, including at R.D. Bailey Dam in Wyoming County and Bluestone Lake in Summers County. Along with the investments made possible by my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this legislation will enable innovative projects to diversify and strengthen our economy, create new jobs and make our communities safer. I’m pleased this critical bill was the result of a regular order committee process with strong bipartisan support, and I look forward to seeing the bill come before the full Senate.”

The WRDA is included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act that was just released and will be voted on soon. Capito said.

This request is carried from the 2020 WRDA to continue encouraging the Corps to move as quickly and as safely as possible through phase 5 of construction at the Bluestone Dam, Manchin added.

Phase 5 of the Bluestone Dam Safety Assurance Mega-Project began in 2019 with the construction of a temporary dam to bisect the stilling basin, according to the USACE. In 2020, the major work was started with Brayman Construction Corporation to upgrade and armor the stilling basin against potential scour, complete the stability anchoring of the dam and return the construction site to a public recreational area. The right half of the stilling basin is under construction now until 2025 and the whole project is scheduled to be completed in 2029.

The primary spillway cannot pass significant flow without substantially increasing the potential for a breach of the dam, the USACE reported on its website. A breach would cause “catastrophic flooding along the largest river valleys in West Virginia that include the capital city of Charleston and major manufacturing and chemical industries. Dam failure could put 165,000 lives at risk and result in property damages in excess of $20 billion.”

Other provisions of the WRDA include:

• Increasing the authorized funding level for the Section 340 and Section 571 environmental infrastructure programs, which support drinking water and wastewater projects across the state of West Virginia. It also shifts the geographic footprint of these programs to conform to the state’s two congressional districts.

• Authorizing USACE to evaluate the feasibility of adding federal or nonfederal hydropower at several dams in West Virginia.

• Directing USACE to develop an implementation plan for enhancing economic development and recreation opportunities at the agency’s facilities in Appalachia.

• Improving USACE’s ability to provide technical assistance and planning services. Reforms will focus attention on watershed planning in flood-impacted communities and identifying debris that contribute to flood events.