PARSONS – City, county and state officials met with a representative from Thrasher Engineering to discuss the focus on the Pulp Mill Bottom Dike and permitting issues related to fixing damage to the flood structure. Ted Hamm, designer of the project, said he had pulled the FEMA maps and needed information about permitting.
“What exactly are the state agencies looking for our design and what will need permitted?” Hamm said. “We are looking at a riprap toe with grout in between, and are hoping to stay out of the water as much as possible. However, if you have seen the way the river bend is cut into the dike, you are very close to the flood way. That concerns me with the Army Corps of Engineering. We must have everyone on board and make sure we are doing this correctly.”
Hamm said he wanted to have everyone on board before he started to save time and money.
“We need to know what we need to design around,” Hamm said. “Are there any endangered species? Is there a mussel spawning season?”
Parsons Councilman Tim Auvil said the biggest issue with the dike is the undermining.
“It’s mostly bedrock at the base of the dike,” Auvil said. “Everybody is pretty much in agreement we need to riprap anchored to the bedrock in front of the lip and then fill with concrete in behind the riprap to fill the gaps of the undermining. Access is the other issue we are facing.”
Auvil said April through July is the spawning season, and they cannot get into the water then.
“The permit needs to go through the Army Corps of Engineers,” Auvil said. “Both Manchin’s and McKinley’s offices have told me the permits would not be a problem. That is the only permit I knew we needed.”
Representatives from the W.Va. State Conservation Office said they were not a regulatory agency, and they did not require any permits. “We can provide any technical advice.”
Hamm said to fix the problems with the dike, it may be easier to build a permanent stone toe with a concrete mixture with larger aggregate.
Auvil said they are hoping to prevent the possibility of a breech in the dike.
“The biggest scare we have is a breech in the dike,” Auvil said. “Once it breeches and goes underneath the dike, the whole wall is going to go. When that happens, it’s a straight B line through the middle of town.”
Hamm said he is trying to work as quickly as possible so the contractor can get in there and get the dike fixed.
Officials discovered a hole in the Pulp Mill Bottom Dike in Parsons during the July 4 weekend. Officials have been working to secure funding to repair the damage and ensure residents are safe.
The dike, which was rebuilt in 1986 following the 1985 flood, has been labeled as a diversion dike, which according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers information means it does not provide flood protection, but rather has a potential to limit flood damages.
The dike is designed to deflect the flow of high velocity flood water back into the stream channel as opposed to letting it run through the heart of the city.
Tucker County Commission gave the city of Parsons $25,000 to begin an engineering study into fixing the dike.
