The Critical 2024-2025 Update: 5 Shocking Facts About Ohio's $1 Billion Dam Assets And Safety Program

The integrity of Ohio's water infrastructure is a matter of life and death, and its management is currently undergoing significant, multi-million dollar transformations. As of December 15, 2025, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is accelerating its Dam Safety Program, driven by new federal funding, state loan initiatives, and a critical regulatory update that took effect in mid-2024. This deep dive into "dam assets ohio gov" reveals a complex, four-tiered classification system, billions in critical infrastructure value, and the key projects that are actively safeguarding communities across the Buckeye State from potential flood hazards and dam failures.

The state’s portfolio of regulated dams, managed by the ODNR’s Division of Water Resources, is not just a collection of concrete and earth; it represents essential flood control, public water supply, and recreational resources. Understanding the recent legislative changes, the classification of these assets, and where public funds are being directed is crucial for property owners, local governments, and anyone interested in the state's long-term infrastructure health.

Fact 1: The Four-Tiered Classification System—What Makes a Dam "High Hazard"?

Ohio’s approach to dam safety is meticulously structured around a four-tiered classification system, which determines a dam’s inspection frequency, required spillway capacity, and emergency planning needs. The classification, outlined in the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Rule 1501:21-13-01, is based entirely on the potential consequences of a sudden dam failure, not the dam’s size or structural condition. This "hazard potential" is the core metric used by the ODNR Dam Safety Program to prioritize state resources and regulatory oversight. The classification is as follows:

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• Class I (High Hazard Potential): This is the most critical category. Failure would likely result in the probable loss of human life, or the structural collapse of at least one residence or one commercial or industrial business. These dams demand the most stringent design standards and the highest frequency of inspection.
• Class II (Significant Hazard Potential): Failure would cause a significant health hazard, major disruption of public services (such as water, sewer, or major transportation routes), or significant economic loss. Loss of human life is not probable, but significant property damage is expected.
• Class III (Low Hazard Potential): Failure is expected to result in property losses restricted mainly to the dam owner’s property and rural lands. Loss of human life is not probable.
• Class IV (Minimal Hazard Potential): This class applies to smaller structures where failure would cause only minimal property damage, restricted almost entirely to the dam itself and adjacent property.

The ODNR maintains a public-facing Ohio Dam Locator Tool, allowing citizens to view the location and classification of dams inventoried in the state database, promoting transparency and local awareness of potential hazards. The vast majority of Ohio’s regulated dams fall into the Class II and Class III categories, but the Class I structures represent the state’s highest priority for safety upgrades and maintenance.

Fact 2: A Major 2024 Regulatory Shift Mandates the "Probable Maximum Flood"

A critical change in Ohio’s dam safety regulations became effective on June 27, 2024, directly impacting the design and required capacity of the most dangerous structures. The amendment to Ohio Administrative Code Rule 1501:21-13-02, concerning the "Design flood for dams and determination of critical flood," significantly raises the bar for Class I dams.

The updated rule specifies that the minimum design flood for a new or significantly modified Class I dam must be the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). The PMF is the theoretical flood event resulting from the most severe combination of meteorological and hydrological conditions reasonably possible for a given drainage basin. This regulatory update is a direct response to increasing extreme weather events and ensures that Ohio's highest-risk dams are engineered to withstand the most catastrophic rainfall scenarios, thereby minimizing the risk of a breach and the associated probable loss of human life.

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This technical change has a massive financial ripple effect, requiring dam owners—which include local governments, conservancy districts, and private entities—to undertake expensive engineering studies and capacity upgrades to meet the new, more rigorous spillway requirements. It underscores the ODNR's commitment to proactive, science-based risk mitigation across all dam assets.

Fact 3: Ohio’s Multi-Million Dollar Dam Funding Mechanisms

The cost to repair, upgrade, or remove Ohio’s aging dam infrastructure is substantial, often exceeding the financial capacity of local owners. To address this, the state, in partnership with the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA), operates two key financing programs, creating a vital lifeline for dam owners seeking to comply with safety regulations:

• Dam Safety Loan Program (DSLP): This program offers below-market interest rate loans specifically to eligible public agencies (like municipalities and park districts) for the planning, design, and construction of safety-related dam improvements.
• Dam Safety Linked Deposit Program (DSLDP): Designed for eligible non-public dam owners (such as private corporations, homeowners’ associations, or individuals), this program provides a subsidized bank loan where the OWDA purchases a certificate of deposit from the lending institution, thereby lowering the owner's interest rate.

Furthermore, Ohio is actively leveraging federal resources, including grants from FEMA's High Hazard Potential Dam Grant Program, which is partially funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This combination of state-specific loan programs and federal grants is essential for financing the engineering and construction work required to bring hundreds of dams into compliance with modern safety standards.

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Fact 4: Key 2024–2025 Dam Projects Driving Infrastructure Renewal

The current period is marked by several high-profile projects that illustrate the state's investment in its dam assets. These projects range from major navigation system overhauls to environmental restoration through dam removal:

• Hinckley Dam Spillway Upgrade: Located in the Cleveland Metroparks system, the Hinckley Dam project is a major undertaking, with the new spillway and earthen dams expected to be completed by the end of 2024. This is a crucial safety and recreational infrastructure improvement for Northeast Ohio.
• Lower Shaker Lake Dam Reconstruction: The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) is advancing this critical reconstruction project, with updates continuing into 2025.
• Great Miami River Dam Removal: In Troy, Ohio, a $2 million grant received in 2024 is funding the Great Miami River Connectivity Project, which involves the removal of a low dam. This project, with updates scheduled into 2025, is a prime example of prioritizing river health and safety by eliminating obsolete structures.
• Taylorsville Dam Road Improvements: The ODNR has scheduled improvements to the road infrastructure around the Taylorsville Dam, with the project expected to begin in June 2025.

These projects, along with the ongoing major Montgomery Locks and Dam upgrade on the Ohio River, highlight a dual focus: maintaining critical, high-value infrastructure while also pursuing ecological restoration through targeted dam removal where safety and environmental benefits align. The state’s 2024-2025 focus is clearly on implementing these large-scale safety and maintenance initiatives.

Fact 5: The Unseen Work of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs)

While the focus is often on concrete and construction, a major component of the Ohio Dam Safety Program is the non-structural requirement for Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). An EAP is a formal document that identifies potential emergency conditions at a dam and specifies pre-planned actions to be followed to minimize loss of life and property damage.

For all Class I and Class II dams, and most Class III dams, a current and tested EAP is mandatory. This plan requires extensive coordination between the dam owner, the ODNR Division of Water Resources, and local emergency management agencies, including county sheriffs and local fire departments. Regular exercises and drills are critical to ensure that, in the event of a catastrophic failure, the downstream hazard area can be evacuated efficiently. The continuous review and updating of these EAPs are a non-stop, year-round effort by the ODNR to ensure the highest level of public protection against the inherent risks associated with Ohio’s valuable dam assets.