Report: Kirkpatrick Dam labeled ‘high hazard’

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s most recent report on the Kirkpatrick Dam, located in Palatka just north of Marion County, did not find any immediate safety concerns but considered it a  “high hazard.”

It also estimated around $1.6 million in repair and maintenance costs for the Kirkpatrick Dam on the Ocklawaha River, as well as the Buckman Lock further down the Cross Florida Barge Canal. The dam, which creates the Rodman Reservoir, has been a subject of debate since its construction in 1968.

Proponents of keeping the dam were pleased with the relatively low-cost estimate, while others, who favor breaching it to create a free-flowing Ocklawaha, question incomplete parts of the report and still estimate a greater return on investment from the partial restoration.

FDEP hired engineering consultant Mead & Hunt to assess the dam in early August. The group found “no significant areas of deterioration” that require immediate repairs, though there was some undermining and erosion of the dam.

The consultant noted a heavy rain event could cause water to overtop the embankments, and the logs may prevent gates from working. They recommended the removal of debris by July and revising the upstream debris barrier design and repair barrier to prevent log accumulation.

The FDEP owns, operates and maintains the Kirkpatrick Dam, which was originally designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal system but never served its purpose when the project was canceled.

Estimated repair and maintenance around $1.6 million

The estimated cost for maintenance and repair items on the dam totaled over $1.3 million. That includes $280,000 for removing logs, vegetation and debris and $635,000 for the debris barrier. Other costs included hydraulic cylinder cleaning and recoating, other debris and vegetation removal and ongoing surveys.

The Buckman Lock, which is located east of the reservoir down the canal, was also assessed with no immediate safety concerns. The consultant did, however, recommend repairing the grease lines for proper lubrication by December, conducting a more detailed inspection of the gates by December 2023 and removing heavy vegetation along with the lock by this July.

Repair costs of the Buckman Lock add another $253,000, including $215,000 for the grease lines and $38,000 for the detailed gate inspection by a hydraulic steel structural engineer.

“I’m glad to see that the DEP sees the value in performing the maintenance that’s been required,” said Steve Miller, president of Save Rodman Reservoir, Inc. “It’s a win for the state of Florida, and the money that they’re spending for a structure as old as it is is a relatively modest amount.”

The FDEP had previously estimated repair costs at $14 million and $4 million before the latest number, Margaret Spontak, chairperson of the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, said.

She questioned whether the $1.6 million is a “Band-Aid” on the more immediate repairs rather than longer-term needs.

“They do rank it satisfactory, but then throughout it in some areas that we think are some of the most critical areas they say they weren’t able to get to certain things,” Spontak said, referring to the debris buildup that kept divers from assessing all parts of the dam.

Dam failure analysis shows “high hazard”

She’s concerned about more severe undermining where the divers couldn’t get to, as well as incomplete assessment of the gates that control the flow of water during a storm, which could cause overtopping, another form of dam failure.

The consultant did perform a dam failure analysis and found that the Kirkpatrick Dam should be reclassified as a “high hazard” dam based on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines, which consider the probable loss of life and impacts on economic and environmental interests. It was previously listed as “low hazard” potential in the National Inventory of Dams.

Dams with high hazard potential are “those where failure or misoperation will probably cause loss of human life.” Economic losses and “significant environmental damage to the ecosystem” are also expected on nearby lands in the event of a breach.

The report listed over 540 parcels of land in the area that would be affected in the event of a failure.

This is one of Spontak’s reasons for supporting a breaching and partial restoration of the dam, which would bring the Rodman Reservoir back down to the natural Ocklawaha River level. Free the Ocklawaha advocates also say the breach would provide better fish and manatee migration routes and a healthier river, and filling in part of the canal would allow for better terrestrial wildlife corridors.

Maintaining recreation and fishing is a concern for many dam proponents, but Miller’s coalition also argues the reservoir already supports a healthy environment and keeps high nutrient loads from entering the other side of the Ocklawaha and St. John’s River, which it feeds into.

Partial recreation has a much higher price tag of nearly $26 million. But a study by Alan Hodges, an emeritus economics faculty member at the University of Florida, found that over 10 years there would be a $1.76 return on investment for every $1 spent, Spontak says.

She is disappointed the results came after the state legislative session ended but is still optimistic because there are funds in the budget that could be allocated to restoration still.

“We think we’re closer than we’ve been in decades in getting people behind us. We’re not discouraged,” she said, noting they hope the “high hazard” designation will help.

Miller is less concerned about the designation and potential for failure, as the hazard level does not reflect the current condition and safety of the dam.

“I think there’s an artificial concern that there’s a problem,” he said. “That’s a worst case scenario that those things would be flooded … which is prudent for the study, but is that actual reality of what will happen? Hard to tell, and hopefully we’ll never see it.”

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.