Manassas dam to stand steady against 10,000-year flood

It will cost about 20 percent less to upgrade the T. Nelson Elliot Dam spillway at Lake Manassas, according to Mike Moon, Manassas City’s director of public works and utilities.
The reduced construction price will bring savings to the city, Prince William County, Manassas Park and the state. Exact savings have not been determined.
Moon said Aug. 8 the construction budget was $11.4 million, but actual construction costs are expected to be nearer $8 million, including all other costs, such as utility relocation. Bids came in at $6.7 million.
The official explained there were three bids on the project, coming in “only a few hundred thousand dollars apart.” Qualified low bidder was AIS, a dam construction company from Colorado. Moon noted the company does many dam projects across the country.
Work began on the project in June, with completion expected in a year.
Moon noted he was glad the project “won’t ever have to be revisited.” He added a “dam out west failed last year.”
In March, Manassas City Council agreed to budget funds so the dam could be ready for a 10,000-year storm. Changes in Virginia State Department of Recreation’s regulations increased the design requirements of the dam on Lake Manassas. Until the work is finished, the dam is operating on a conditional, rather than a full, operating permit.
See the upcoming Manassas Observer for more details.