Watershed Planning for the Rehabilitation of Beaver Creek 1: A Concerted Effort

ABSTRACT ONLY - The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, formerly Soil Conservation Service or SCS) is responsible for the planning, design and construction of over 11,000 dams and reservoirs across the United States since 1948. The NRCS partnered with farmers, landowners, and communities to design and construct crucial water resource and flood control projects; many of which are still in service today.
Beaver Creek 1 Dam and Reservoir (Beaver Creek 1) currently serve as the sole water supply for the Community of Crozet, Virginia. The subject dam was designed and constructed by SCS in the early 1960’s prior to the advent of Virginia’s Dam Safety Division and state regulations for dam safety. The dam was designed to meet dam safety standards in effect at that time for significant hazard structures, but is considered a high hazard structure by today’s classification standards and does not meet NRCS or Virginia requirements. The Sponsors, spearheaded by Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, applied for Federal assistance through NRCS and the Watershed Rehabilitation Program. The project was accepted and the planning phase has been underway since July 2020.
The presenters will describe the planning process used by NRCS, consultants, and the local sponsoring organizations to determine the preferred alternative. A structural rehabilitation of the existing reservoir was found to provide the greatest balance of national economic efficiency and overall benefit to the community. The presenters will describe various aspects of the project, including lessons learned from the Beaver Creek 1 supplemental watershed planning process. The project is approaching the detailed design phase and is anticipated for construction beginning in 2024.