The West Wash Dam in the Peavine Mountain watershed is included in a USDA-funded rehabilitation partnership project.
“The (project involves) the rehabilitation of the dam, including raising the top of the damto meet current structure and stability standards, and upgrading the existing spillway capacity to meet 100-year flood requirements. Implementation of these work elements would meet state dam safety regulations and engineering standards,” according to a report published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The dam is located south of North McCarran Boulevard between Severn Drive, O’Farrell Street and Wyoming Avenue.
According to the NRCS:
The dam is awaiting rehabilitation design. It provides protection against flooding to about 30,000 Nevadans who live and work downstream. The dam also protects downstream city roads, one state highway and an interstate highway. Among other critical infrastructure, the dam also protects power lines and railroad tracks.
NRCS announced this project yesterday as being among $73 million to rehabilitate dams across the nation in an effort to protect public health and safety and evaluate the expansion of water supply in drought stricken areas. NRCS is investing in about150 projects and assessments in 23 states.
“Millions of people depend on watersheds and dams for protection from floods and providing clean drinking water,” Vilsack said. “By investing in this critical infrastructure, we are helping to ensure a safe, resilient environment for rural America.”
NRCS Assistant Chief Kirk Hanlin unveiled this round of watershed rehabilitation funding on Thursday near Alpine, Utah, where work is planned on Tibble Fork Dam to increase water supply and flood damage protection for the surrounding communities.
This investment follows the Obama Administration’s announcement last year, which called on federal agencies to increase investments in infrastructure to accelerate economic growth, create jobs and improve the competitiveness of the American economy.
“USDA continues to look for new ways to mitigate the impacts of drought across the West, and this change to the Watershed Rehabilitation Program allows us to use existing infrastructure to address water quantity issues,” Vilsack said.
