BSB/1/11
Sponsored by Ishitha Nakka, Evan Daruwalla, Sai Keerthi Pathipaka of Ravenwood High School
This legislation was filed in the Environment and Conservation category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE: |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act will be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Dams: A barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to |
| 5 | generate electricity or as a water supply. |
| 6 | Farm Ponds: An impounded water source created by constructing an embankment or excavating a |
| 7 | pit that is intended to provide water for irrigation of crops or water supply for livestock operations. |
| 8 | Flood Inundation Map: Shows the locations of high-risk, moderate-to-low-risk, and undetermined- |
| 9 | risk areas. |
| 10 | High Hazard Classification: A classification standard for any dam whose failure or mis-operation |
| 11 | will cause loss of human life and significant property destruction. |
| 12 | Low Hazard Classification: A classification for those where failure or mis-operation results in no |
| 13 | probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. |
| 14 | Privately Owned Dams: Dams that are owned by a private organization or individual, rather than |
| 15 | by a state government or public body. |
| 16 | Spillways: Structures that either form part of a dam, or are found just beside one. There are two |
| 17 | types: Principal (used for normal inflows) and Emergency (used during large floods) |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Section 2: This act aims to enhance safety measures to farm ponds and dams to solve the problem |
| 20 | of unregulated farm ponds in the Safe Dams Act of 1973 and solve the imminent threats posed to |
| 21 | residents by dams in poor conditions. The Safe Dams Act of 1973 provides certificates to owners of |
| 22 | the dam for construction and outlines the classification and standards for dams. The act also gives |
| 23 | requirements for dams to meet. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Section 3: This bill will solve these problems by holding farm ponds, greater than one acre in size, |
| 26 | to a new safety standard set in place by the Tennessee Department of Environment and |
| 27 | Conservation’s Safe Dams Program, amending the Safe Dams Act of 1973. Farm ponds will be re- |
| 28 | assessed for their hazard levels and inspected as often as dams, according to their hazard |
| 29 | classification, with those classified as High Hazard being inspected every 6 months, Significant |
| 30 | Hazard inspected every year, and Low Hazard inspected every 2 years. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Section 4: This act will ensure that inspectors look for cracks and deterioration in concrete, |
| 33 | leakage in the principal spillways, and blockages in emergency spillways. Inspectors will also |
| 34 | monitor whether a dam changes to different hazard classifications or in condition. If a farm pond |
| 35 | or dam fails to meet these regulations, they will need to be modified or repaired under the |
| 36 | Tennessee Safe Dams Program Rules. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Section 5: Under this act, all high-hazard dams, including all farm ponds, will have an updated |
| 39 | |
| 40 | This includes contact information for area officials and people living downstream. The emergency |
| 41 | plan should also include an updated flood inundation map. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | Section 6: This bill is to be enacted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and |
| 44 | Conservation. |
| 45 | |
| 46 | Section 7: Persons or businesses who do not comply with these regulations are to be fined a |
| 47 | minimum of $100 for individually owned farm ponds and $1,000 for any dams or company-owned |
| 48 | farm ponds, with the exact fine decided by the Safe Dams Program. The inspection fee stated by |
| 49 | the Safe Dams Program of $500 will remain the same. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | Section 8: This addition of these inspections will cost $4,350,000 and will be funded through the |
| 52 | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation budget. $3,600,000 will go towards |
| 53 | salaries for the 40 new inspectors while $750,000 will go towards travel and equipment. The salary |
| 54 | will need to be restored every year, and may increase or decrease in response to demand. The |
| 55 | budget for travel and equipment will also be renewed yearly, and is expected after the first year to |
| 56 | fall to around $500,000 as equipment is purchased. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | Section 9: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | Section 10: This act shall take effect on June 30, 2024, the public warfare requiring it. |
| 61 |