The fate of the Lake Peachtree dam could be decided before the end of the year. Hanging in the balance is the determination by the state on whether the dam can remain a Category 2 structure or if it will be designated a Category 1 dam that comes with a much greater cost.
The state is currently considering the appeal by Fayette County and Peachtree City over the reclassification of the dam from a Category 2 to a Category 1 structure.
Under the Safe Dams program, a Category 2 dam is one with no projected loss of life downstream if the dam fails, while the failure of a Category 1 dam projects the loss of at least one life.
A Category 1 dam, if required by the state, would require significantly more money to construct.
Replacing the current dam and spillway to meet Category 1 requirements would cost $5-7 million while meeting Category 2 requirements would run $1.5-2.5 million, said attorney Andy Welch, who represents the city.
If deemed a Category 2 dam, repair work on the structure could potentially be done during the upcoming dredging project.
The reclassification by the state came in the summer and was followed by an appeal by the city and county. Welch said a response from the state might be forthcoming in December.
Welch said the city contracted for a dam breach analysis that questioned the state’s assertion that a Category 2 dam breach would would imperil two downstream properties based on the 2008 floodplain map.
“The state is doing their own modeling,” Welch said. “We hope to resolve this as soon as possible so we can repair the spillway and re-fill the lake after dredging.”
The current dam has been in place for half a century.
In a related matter, the City Council is also considering the cost of dredging portions of Lake Peachtree that would go beyond the upcoming areas to be dredged with funding from Fayette County.
