Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:24

  • Dam: is a ny artificial barrier, including appurtenant works, which does or will impound or divert water or any other liquid substance and which has or will have a dam height of twenty-five feet or more or has or will have a maximum liquid storage capacity of fifty acre-feet or more. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:22
  • Modification: means enlargements or changes that may affect the safety of the dam, including but not limited to adding significant amounts of material to, or removing material from, the cross-section of a dam; changing the dimensions or elevations of spillways; correcting damages associated with significant seepage through or under the dam; building a roadway or placing utilities on or in any part of the dam or altering the operational features of a dam excluding activities associated with routine maintenance. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 38:22

A.(1)  The chief engineer shall adopt and may from time to time amend rules and regulations in order to establish standards for the construction, modification, operation, and maintenance of such dams and to administer and enforce these provisions.  In order to secure conformity with the adopted rules and regulations and to assure compliance with any consent or permit granted pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, the chief engineer or his authorized representative, is authorized and it shall be his duty to inspect all such dams.  The number of inspections is to be based on the category of dams, as defined in the rules and regulations, but periodical changes may be necessitated according to future development of a categorized dam in the rules and regulations.  The chief engineer or his authorized representative shall have the right of access to private property in order to make inspections of such dams.

(2)  The provisions of this Subsection shall apply to both existing dams and new construction, except that dams under construction or completed prior to August 15, 1995, shall not be required to meet the new dam construction requirements unless the owner elects to make major modifications or repairs or the chief engineer determines that the impoundment structure has developed major deficiencies, requiring rehabilitation or reconstruction.  The provisions of this Paragraph shall become effective upon promulgation and formal adoption of rules and regulations under the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Subsection.

B.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law or any rules and regulations to the contrary, the legally constituted boards of commissioners of Black Lake, Clear Lake, and Saline Lake in Natchitoches Parish may recommend directly to the Department of Transportation and Development that the dams situated on said lakes should be opened for flood-control purposes only.  The chief engineer, or his authorized representative, shall have the final authority for determining the necessity of opening the dams, and no other department of state government shall be involved in these flood-control activities.

Acts 1991, No. 532, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1049, §1.

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