Financing Dam Rehabilitation with Nutrient Credits
Lake Overton Dam is a failing High Hazard dam that is privately owned and operated in Henrico, Virginia. Rehabilitating the dam is cost prohibitive for the owners but is a safety concern in the county. Henrico County Department of Public Works engaged AMT Engineering to design a dam rehab that also converted the lake to a VA DEQ Level II Wetpond to gain water quality improvements in addition to addressing the dam safety concerns. In return for the nutrient credits the project will earn, the County agreed to finance the project. AMT went through a challenging design process to satisfy requirements from VA DEQ, Henrico County, and VA DCR Dam Safety while also adhering to the wishes of the dam owners.
Author Bio
Heather obtained her AAS in Architectural & Civil Engineering Technology from VWCC. She taught herself Hydrologic and Hydraulic modeling after starting her career in Dams as a CADD technician. Currently, Heather coordinates the dam modeling team at AMT Engineering to produce dam break inundation studies and lends a hand in dam rehabilitation design. When she is not busy working or studying, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing online games, and practicing aerial yoga.
