Lane Engineering, Inc.

               

Lane Engineering was commissioned by the Town of Big Stone Gap for the preparation and presentation of an Environmental Assessment of the New Big Cherry Dam. This project was proposed due to the fact that the existing 65+ year old dam does not meet safety criteria related to structural stability. This issue, along with the water storage capacity of the reservoir, has prompted officials to consider alternatives such as replacement of the existing structure. The project consists of the construction of a new roller compacted concrete dam approximately 165 feet downstream of the existing dam, with a  spillway elevation seven feet higher than the existing dam’s spillway.

The Environmental Assessment that was completed by Lane Engineering addressed issues pertaining to the environmental impacts of the dam replacement. These impacts included:

       Land Use/Important Farmland/Formally Classified Lands

       Floodplains

       Wetlands

       Cultural Resources

       Biological Resources

       Water Quality Issues

       Coastal Resources

       Socio-economic/Environmental Justice Issues

       Air Quality

       Noise

       Transportation

This Environmental Assessment was presented to the Town of Big Stone Gap in November 2001 and has received national recognition. The Big Cherry Dam Environmental Assessment is the single largest, successfully completed, environmental assessment submitted to Rural Development in the State of Virginia. The Assessment is now being used nationally as a training tool by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This page last modified on June 08, 2006