Walker’s Dam repair enters long 2nd phase

Work to stabilize Walker’s Dam and restore normal water level in Chickahominy Lake is finished, but now comes a second phase to rebuild the dam’s boat lock and perform other necessary rehabilitation to the 65-year-old structure.

Meeting with New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors on May 27, officials with Newport News Waterworks, the owners of the Lanexa dam, discussed progress to date and what is to come. They also fielded concerns from several business owners whose livelihoods hinge on lake and river activities.

Deborah Ward, who owns Ed Allen’s Campground on the shores of the lake just upstream from the dam, told Waterworks representatives and county supervisors that she did not want to experience another summer like last year.

Failure of dam on the weekend of April 21, 2007 led to lowering the lake’s water level to relieve pressure on the damaged structure. Waterworks officials also closed the dam to public access. Problems were then compounded when the boat lock collapsed in early June.

Ward said untrue rumors quickly spread that boats were being denied access to the lake. Access continued, although there were occasional problems launching boats at low tide, she said. The result, however, was that her business suffered, she said, adding, “It almost killed me.”

Waterworks engineers told Ward and supervisors last week that second phase work will not lead to a repeat of last summer. There are no plans to lower the lake level while work is in progress, they said.

“We’ll still be blocking public access to the dam on the New Kent side,” Waterworks director Brian Ramaley said.

Second phase work is estimated to cost in the $10-$12 million range, Ramaley said. Permits should be in hand by the end of the year with the project going to bid in early 2009. Work is expected to commence in spring 2009 and take 12-18 months to complete, he said.

Replacing the boat lock alone could cost upwards of $3 million, he added. Plans call for installing a lock that is 15 feet in width and 30 feet long.

Ramaley said his company is anxious to get the project underway since 60 percent of the water supplied to customers in the Lower Peninsula is pumped from the Chickahominy. Pumping, he said, has continued despite the dam failure.

The first phase to stabilize the dam and water levels ended last February at a cost of just under $3.7 million, Ramaley said. A 280-foot section of the dam where cracks appeared was replaced with steel-reinforced concrete.

Contrary to rumor, he said, no problems have been found on the Charles City County end of the dam during inspections by dive teams along the entire length of the structure. The failure had no impact on a fish ladder located on the Charles City side.

“Our goal at the end of Phase II is to have a dam that will stand for 60 years,” Ramaley said. “It will pretty much be a new dam.”

District 4 Supervisor Stran Trout asked Waterworks officials to release all inspection reports on the dam to the public. Officials agreed to comply.

“There’s a lot of history in that river,” Trout told the Waterworks group. “There’s a lot of interest in New Kent and Charles City on that river that’s maybe a lot bigger than just drinking water.”

Waterworks officials, meanwhile, plan to schedule a public meeting this month to discuss the second phase and listen to concerns. A date and location had not been set as of last week. In the meantime, questions and concerns can be addressed by calling Waterworks’ public information office at 926-1155.