KEYSER, W.Va. — Small watershed flood-control dams in the Potomac Valley of West Virginia provided $5.8 million in flood benefits to people, property, infrastructure and farms during the heavy rain event that began May 13, according to a federal determination.
Seventy-three dams within the Potomac Valley Conservation District provide annual economic and safety benefits to people, farms, livestock, residential and commercial properties, utilities, roads, railroads and bridges. The counties in the district are Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral and Pendleton.
The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) quantifies both average annual benefits for small watershed dams and also total benefits for 24-hour periods during a storm or flood event.
Beginning May 13, NRCS estimated that approximately 3.5 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period that affected nine New Creek watershed dams upstream of Keyser. The dams provided a total flood benefit that day that exceeded $500,000. The remaining 64 small watershed flood-control dams within the Potomac Valley Conservation District provided $5.3 million in total benefits for the same 24-hour period.
Mineral County Commissioner Charles “Dutch” Staggs saw firsthand the benefit the dams provide to local communities.
“I feel confident having those dams there has alleviated some of the flash flooding we saw downstream,” Staggs said.
While banks were near full and water was high in New Creek, Patterson Creek and the Potomac River, those streams and rivers “didn’t get as bad as they could have been,” Staggs said. Still, areas along New Creek were “inches away” from the risk of serious damage, he said.
Mineral County officials were on edge in the days after the flood event, he said, when forecasts were calling for more rain.
