DAM SAFETY AND REPAIR H.B. 4211 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 4211 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole) Sponsor: Representative John Lewellyn
House Committee: Conservation, Environment, and Great Lakes Senate Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
The bill would amend the Dam Safety Act to specify that until January 1, 1998, a permit would not be required for the repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a dam that was destroyed by an act of God, if a portion of the dam were at least 75 years old and the dam were located in a county with a per capita income of less than $8,500. The bill, however, would require a person who performed a project for the repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a dam that was exempt from the permit requirement to submit to the Department of Natural Resources and the Legislature’s Joint Capital Outlay Committee (JCOC) plans and specifications for the project. The plans and specifications would have to be prepared by a licensed professional engineer and would have to meet acceptable industry standards in order for the dam to be repaired, reconstructed, or improved. In reviewing plans and specifications for the project, the JCOC could recommend environmental considerations to protect water quality such as underspill devices, minimum flow releases, and removal of contaminated sediments that could be resuspended in the water column on impoundment. Such contaminated sediments would have to be disposed of according to State law.
MCL 281.1313 Legislative Analyst: L. Burghardt
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 5-30-95 Fiscal Analyst: G. Cutler
floor\hb4211
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.