Dam owners and local governments may apply for $1.2 million in grants available from the Virginia Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund. The fund is managed by the Virginia Resources Authority on behalf of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
All grants are reimbursements and require a 50 percent match. The maximum amount per grant will be determined based on amounts requested from eligible projects, application scores and available funds. Requests must be submitted by 4 p.m., March 31, 2017.
“Dam safety and floodplain management are critical to our public safety,” DCR Director Clyde E. Cristman said. “These grants will help recipients take necessary steps to protect lives and property, while making communities more resilient to flooding. We encourage dam owners and localities across Virginia to apply.”
Grants are offered in two categories:
Dam safety grants are available to private dam owners and local governments for dams that have been under a regular or conditional certificate during the past 12 months. If the applicant’s dam is not under a certificate, detailed documentation must be provided to demonstrate the steps being taken to bring the dam under certificate. Grants may be used for dam break inundation zone analysis, mapping and digitization; probable maximum precipitation impact analysis and certification; hazard classification analysis; emergency action plan development; spillway capacity analysis; dam engineering and design activities; and other projects as specified in the grant manual.
Flood prevention and protection grants are available to local governments and can be used for community outreach and educational programs; ordinance development and revision; development of flood cost reduction and resiliency standards; locality flood warning and response systems; or improvements to floodplain programs.
-Submitted by Julie Buchanan