Submitted photo A crew works to lower the Wellsville Reservoir Dam. The village had to ensure a safe breach, a project required by the state.

WELLSVILLE — With the Aug. 31 deadline looming, the Village of Wellsville completed the state required work on the reservoir with just days to spare.

Engineers finished the work needed to ensure the safe breach of the Wellsville Reservoir Dam on Little Yellow Creek on Aug. 27.

The village worked with ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) Division of Water Resources, Dam Safety Program and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to complete the work on the dam, gatehouse and intake tower.

A safety inspection conducted on the dam on June 27, 2019, by representatives of the Chief of the Division of Water Resources noted that the dam operation and maintenance of the dam was in violation of state dam safety laws and due to serious deficiencies at the dam, it risked the lives of residents downstream.

A letter from division of water resources dated Dec. 12, 2019, ordered to village to take immediate action to improve the safety of the dam or an enforcement agency action would be taken against the village. The letter also stated that full compliance would involve either repairing the dam or adequately breaching or modifying the dam.

Problems with the dam have been noted over eight Army Corp of Engineers inspections since 1973.

The initial deadline to complete the work was by March 30, 2020. The order instructed for the dam to be lowered by at least 15 feet, but lowering it no more than 1 foot per week

A Feb. 24, 2021, letter from ODNR to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA Region 5 noted that since the village no longer uses the reservoir for water, the repair and future maintenance of the dam would be cost prohibitive, so removal of the dam would be the most appropriate action.

According to Wellsville Fiscal Officer Hoi Wah Yu, village administration was nervous about the order because after talking with engineers, they realized it was going to be an expensive project to take on.

The project came with nearly a $1 million price tag.

“We didn’t know where we were going to get the funding,” Yu said. “But with help from different agencies (ODNR and FEMA) who gave the village grants, we were able to get it done.”

The village received a Height Hazard Potential Dam (HHPD) Grant in the amount of $502,000, and an Ohio Public Works grant in the amount of $455,998 from the Ohio Public Works Commission. The grants covered the cost of the project with no out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the village.

“Thanks to the mayor, the village administrator, ODNR, FEMA, OPWC, our contractor, the engineers and all the people that worked together with us, it was done on time,” Yu said. “They really worked hard to try to get it down. We are very grateful.”