Senate File 2232 - Introduced



                                         SENATE FILE       
                                         BY  BOLKCOM


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act establishing a low head dam public hazard program.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  3 TLSB 6124XS 82
  4 da/nh/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  464A.11  LOW HEAD DAM PUBLIC
  1  2 HAZARD PROGRAM.
  1  3    1.  The department shall establish a low head dam public
  1  4 hazard program to reduce the incidents of drowning due to
  1  5 dangers associated with coming within proximity of a
  1  6 traditionally designed low head dam, including hydraulic
  1  7 conditions or recirculating or reverse current velocity.
  1  8    2.  In administering the low head dam public hazard
  1  9 program, the department shall adopt rules providing for hazard
  1 10 control objectives, which may include all of the following:
  1 11    a.  Compiling an inventory of low head dams, including a
  1 12 listing of those low head dams which may require remediation.
  1 13    b.  Providing for public education including placing
  1 14 notices near low head dams and along navigational trails, and
  1 15 increasing public awareness of the dangers associated with low
  1 16 head dams.
  1 17    c.  Constructing portage trails circumventing low head
  1 18 dams, including the construction of appropriate landing and
  1 19 launching sites.
  1 20    d.  Recommending designs for low head dams to reduce
  1 21 incidents of drowning.
  1 22    e.  Providing for cost=effective remediation, including the
  1 23 removal or modification of low head dams.
  1 24    3.  The department shall award moneys to owners of low head
  1 25 dams on a cost=share basis.  The department, in executing a
  1 26 cost=share agreement with a participating owner of a low head
  1 27 dam, shall not award more than fifty percent of the costs
  1 28 necessary to accomplish the remediation project.
  1 29    4.  The department shall adopt rules providing a schedule
  1 30 for the allocation of moneys received by the department to
  1 31 support the program.  The schedule shall allocate the moneys
  1 32 on a percentage basis to finance hazard control objectives as
  1 33 provided in this section.
  1 34                           EXPLANATION
  1 35    This bill establishes a low head dam public hazard program
  2  1 to reduce the incidents of drowning due to dangers associated
  2  2 with coming within the proximity of a traditionally designed
  2  3 low head dam.  The program is to be administered by the
  2  4 department of natural resources which may adopt rules to
  2  5 inventory low head dams, provide for education, construct
  2  6 portage trails, recommend improved designs, and provide for
  2  7 the remediation of hazards.  The department may award moneys
  2  8 to support cost=effective remediation efforts.  The department
  2  9 may execute cost=share agreements with owners of low head dams
  2 10 to accomplish the remediation.
  2 11 LSB 6124XS 82
  2 12 da/nh/5