Aiken County Council will likely vote today to submit and approve a Hazard Mitigation Grant, which would reduce the financial weight on taxpayers to cover Langley Dam expenses.
Council's meeting is open to the public and will start at 7 p.m. in the Aiken County Government Center's Council Chambers, 1930 University Parkway.
It's been five months since a leak was discovered at the dam, and County staff are continuing to find ways to cover the leak's expenses without having to use taxpayer dollars.
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds cover projects that will reduce or eliminate the losses from future disasters. If the grant is awarded to the County, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will cover 75 percent of the project's eligible costs and the County would only have to provide a 25 percent match.
The County already applied for the grant in order to fund retrofitting to the Langley Pond dam, according to the agenda. The agenda said retrofitting will help eliminate structural deficiencies, which, if ignored, could pose a hazard to Horse Creek residents and property downstream of the dam through flash flooding.
In February, County Administrator Clay Killian said the County could spend nearly $800,000 to investigate the cause of the Langley Dam leak and install siphons. which allow the water to be drawn down. Council already approved an amendment to the fiscal year 2015 operating budget to allocate $300,000 toward Langley Dam assessment and repair.
Because of the ongoing investigation and repair of the dam, staff have canceled several events at Langley Pond this year, including rowing events, such as the Augusta Invitational Rowing Regatta.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.