Throwing BRICs to Demolish a Dam - Lessons Learned from Benefit Cost Analysis

The West End Reservoir Dam (National Inventory of Dams NID VA171004) was constructed in 1957 to provide water to the Town of Woodstock, Virginia. The 42-foot high concrete gravity dam does not meet current spillway capacity criteria established by Virginia Dam Safety regulations, and does not meet accepted stability criteria. The high hazard dam poses a risk to more than 75 homes and several roads if it were to fail. When FEMA announced the availability of BRIC grants in late 2023 the Town worked with Blossom Consulting and Engineering Inc. (BCE) to quickly submit an application for removal of the dam before the grant deadline. FEMA requires that a Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) be submitted as part of the application process and that the benefits of the project exceed the cost. The authors present some background for the BCA which other engineers and dam owners may find helpful when applying to FEMA for dam removal funding under BRIC and/or other similar funding streams for dam removal. Since FEMA employs outside reviewers who may not be familiar with Dam Safety criteria, considerable effort may be needed to educate them on the benefits of dam removal for risk reduction.