Annual dam ownership meeting in Hattiesburg hopes to help prevent disasters
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) -There are nearly 30 high-hazard dams across Lamar and Forrest counties.
A workshop held Thursday in Hattiesburg helped private owners learn how to properly maintain a dam to mitigate the chances of a disaster.
A high-hazard dam is one that, if not operating correctly, could be life-threatening to nearby residents.
Dozens of dam owners and operators were in attendance Thursday.
These meetings are held annually so that people new to the dam operations learn how to properly protect the public, especially those near a high-hazard dam like West Lake in Lamar County.
“(It’s about) how to operate and maintain their dams and perform inspections as well as help brief them on liabilities and emergency action planning, so in the event that they identify a problem, then they know what the process is to go through and help protect the public downstream,” said Willie McKerchur, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Safety Division chief.
Dam owners from across the Pine Belt came out Thursday for the session.
To protect the public, a plan must be in place.
“Safety and protecting lives,” said Forrest County Planning Director Corey Proctor. “Those are the key things, and It’s very important to have these types of workshops because the whole key is to protect lives.”
Safety was a hot topic of Thursday’s meeting, but other elements of dam ownership were touched upon, such as:
- An introduction to basic dam terminology
- How to inspect your dam; key issues and tell-tale signs
- Maintenance and solutions to common problems
- Emergency action planning and inundation mapping
- Liability and public safety
- Hiring a consultant to assist
- Finding funding sources available to assist with the cost of dam rehabilitation.
For more information on dam ownership, visit https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/
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