MOUNT VERNON — The process of resolving responsibility for the Knox Cattle Company dam on Yauger Road is slowly inching forward.
In a telephone conference on Feb. 19, attorney Stephen Samuels, co-counsel for the City of Mount Vernon, reported that the hydrological consultant the city retained conducted a site visit several weeks ago.
In addition to Samuels and Law Director Rob Broeren representing the city, counsel for the various defendants, self-represented property owners, and Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel participated in the call.
The consultant has all of the necessary topological data. A detailed technical assessment requires hydrology modeling. Samuels said that would take longer than expected, so the city asked the consultant to provide design/construction activities and implementation, operations, and maintenance costs for each of the three alternatives:
•Repair and maintain the dam to conform with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources requirements
•Reduce the height of the dam and/or the volume of the reservoir such that it is no longer subject to ODNR requirements
•Breach and remove the dam
Samuels said that preparing evaluations in the absence of hydrological modeling carries a 30% plus-minus margin of error.
“Our projection is that despite that uncertainty, that information should be sufficiently granular that the folks who have an interest in this … can make sensible decisions,” he said.
Samuels expects to receive the evaluations by the end of March. The consultant will then develop a model that will be used for multiple purposes, including storm water.
“If necessary, we can then refine the cost of any ancillary storm water that we might need,” he said. “It will allow the city to make more accurate predictions on stormwater flow, both what we have and what is needed.”
There is no date as to when that model will be available.
Judge Wetzel told the attorneys they need to start thinking about how to communicate with their clients and what steps they want to take to start narrowing down the options.
Attorney Kim Rose said that he spoke with County Administrator Jason Booth about the $1 million the county commissioners have set aside to help with dam repairs.
“They are anxious to find out how much this is going to cost because they have had other requests for the money,” Rose said. “I want to make sure we are still within the million dollar cost.”
Samuels said the consultant is able to do everything but the hydrological modeling within the $35,000 consultant budget. The modeling adds an extra $17,500 to the contract.
He also said that the expectation is that the cost for the preferred option, reducing the size of the dam/reservoir, will be appreciably less than the $1 million.
The next pre-trial telephone conference is set for mid-April.
