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A six-foot-tall parapet wall will likely be built on top of Bowman Dam — whose spillway is shown here — as early as May 2011.
A proposed project to build a parapet wall atop Bowman Dam took a major stride forward recently and construction could begin by next year.
The Bureau of Reclamation issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) as well as a final Environmental Analysis (EA) for Safety of Dams Modifications.
According to Bureau media contact Jim Taylor, these documents demonstrate compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines and will allow the project to move forward.
"This is our final conclusion document," Taylor stated. "This is one of the steps we have to conclude."
The final analysis discussed the impact the parapet wall would have on water quality, fish, wildlife, vegetation, threatened and endangered species, transportation, recreation, cultural resources, sacred sites, Native American trust assets, socioeconomics, and environmental justice.
The analysis also included a scoping period in which the BOR sought public input on the project.
"The scoping process is where we reach out to the public and try to have people bring in their concerns," Taylor explained. Last July, the BOR held a public meeting where comment was taken. Although no comments were made at the meeting beyond "general questions," Taylor said that other people (primarily from other environmental agencies) submitted written comments throughout the scoping process. Most of these comments had to do with how the parapet wall would impact "total dissolved gas that occurs below the dam and fish passage."
From here the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will review the project to ensure that funding will be used wisely and correctly. After review, the project is turned over to Congress. If Congress takes no adverse action within 30 days, the project is officially approved.
The parapet wall is meant to remedy safety deficiencies at the Bowman Dam. According to the BOR, in the event of a major flood, water could spill over the top of the dam harming fish and wildlife and possibly taking human lives. The six-foot-high, one-foot-thick wall will be located on the upstream side of the dam crest. It is expected to provide 30,000 acre-feet of additional water storage in the event of a major flood.
According to Taylor, the wall will cost about $6 million to complete. The Ochoco Irrigation District is responsible for paying 15 percent of that cost. Construction for the wall could begin as soon as May 2011, and it could mean jobs for local residents.
"It will go out to bid, but we try to hire locally," Taylor said. "In the EA, the estimated workforce is about 10 people. It may be more. It's hard to estimate."
