Regulatory Compliance at Bryan Park
The City of Richmond is exploring options for bringing two City-owned 1930s-era dams located in Bryan Park into compliance with the Code of Virginia and Virginia Impounding Structures Regulations.
There are two dams along Upham Brook in Bryan Park, referred to as the upper and lower dams. The dams are located in Bryan Park’s fall line area near the confluence of Jordan’s Brach, Upham Brook, and Princeton Creek. Over 15 square miles of mixed-use land, including heavily urbanized areas, drains to the dams from upstream. The lower dam, also known as Young’s Pond Dam, is regulated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Bryan Park’s nearly century-old dams require much-needed attention and the lower dam does not meet current DCR dam safety regulations due to its inability to safely pass the regulatory design flood. In addition to structural deficiencies, there are routine issues with both dams, including repetitive overtopping, frequent localized flooding, and the persistent presence of debris and continual erosion due to the large volumes of flow draining to the dams.
This project flyer provides an overview of the ongoing work in Bryan Park. Below, this webpage houses additional information and frequently asked questions and answers about the effort ahead.
Upcoming Public Meetings
Future opportunities for further engagement, including the schedule for presentations to the City's Urban Design Committee, will be posted to this project webpage and included in updated copies of the project flyer.
Past Meetings
The City held a public meeting on Wednesday, March 27th of 2024 at 6:00 pm at the Virginia Rep Center for Arts and Education to talk in detail about regulatory requirements and answer questions about the project. The slides shared at that meeting are available here.
Previously, the City of Richmond's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities and the Department of Public Utilities’ Stormwater Division met with the Friends of Bryan Park board to discuss the project need on Monday, January 29th of 2024.
Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
The City of Richmond's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF) and the Department of Public Utilities’ Stormwater Division (DPU-SW) work in partnership. PRCF is responsible for managing the land and the dams. DPU-SW is leading the City’s efforts for ensuring regulatory compliance of City-owned dams.
In the fall of 2022 the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management issued a “Letter of Engagement" to the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF) stating that the lower dam in Bryan Park, Young’s Pond Dam, is of regulatory size and may be out of compliance with the provisions of the Virginia Dam Safety Act and the Virginia Impounding Structures Regulations. Engineer’s inspections conducted by on-call civil engineering firm Hazen have confirmed that the lower dam is not in compliance.
Virginia’s dam safety regulations have become more and more stringent in recent years. Not only has the criteria changed which dams are regulated, but the compliance criteria for regulated dams has also changed significantly. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has been proactively reaching out to dam owners across the Commonwealth to ensure that regulated dams are in compliance.
The “Letter of Engagement” that the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF) received in the fall of 2022 kicked off a process of extensive research, investigation, and partnership between PRCF and the Department of Public Utility’s Stormwater Division (DPU-SW) to develop a plan to ensure compliance and report back to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
The City is working with on-call civil engineering firm Hazen to conduct engineer’s inspections of the dams, collect topographic and bathometric survey information, document geotechnical findings, and perform hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) research and analysis.
This continuing effort focuses on ensuring compliance with the following goals in mind:
- Meet DCR dam safety regulations,
- Involve and coordinate with regulatory agencies and all private and public stakeholders,
- Develop potential solutions consistent with the character of Bryan Park,
- Minimize temporary and permanent impacts to Bryan Park and the surrounding area,
- Improve the ecosystem and environment of Bryan Park, and
- Explore cost-effectiveness and grant funding eligibility.
The engineer’s inspections conducted by on-call civil engineering firm Hazen revealed that both dams at Bryan Park have structural deficiencies including the deterioration of concrete at the spillways, areas of cracking and spalling of concrete, exposed rebar, and evidence of erosion.
While the upper dam at Bryan Park has maintenance issues requiring attention, it’s not regulated by DCR due to its height and storage capacity. The lower dam is a regulated DCR dam and is not in compliance as it does not meet current dam safety regulations due to its inability to safely pass the regulatory design flood.
Hazen, an on-call civil engineering firm working with the City, identified three potential options for the dams in Bryan Park.
The first option, dam rehabilitation, was deemed inadequate due to the current impounding structures’ age, material composition, and the inability to safely pass the regulatory design flood.
The second option, dam replacement, would consist of a labyrinth weir structure that would safely pass the regulatory design flood and meet the regulatory requirements. The labyrinth weir option presents a large, expensive, heavy civil engineering project that may disrupt Bryan Park’s historic character and, as a regulated structure, would still require regular maintenance and monitoring.
Click here to see what a labyrinth weir looks like.
The third option, dam removal and ecological remediation, will decommission the dams, thus precluding any future potential regulatory action. Additionally, this option is the most environmentally friendly and ecologically beneficial as over 4,000 linear feet of Upham Brook would be reconnected, opening up 10 miles of blocked fish passage. This option is the most cost-effective option to implement and maintain in the long term. As part of this option, two bridges will be constructed to maintain pedestrian connectivity across the newly-reformed stream. The dam removal and ecological remediation option is the City’s preferred choice.
Click here to see a rendering of how the dam removal and ecological remediation option would look at Bryan Park.
The lower dam in Bryan Park needs to meet the regulatory design flood which is equivalent to ±14 inches of rain in a 6-hour period, comparable to a 500-year storm event. Currently, both dams regularly overtop with only an inch or two of rainfall.
Yes! The City of Lynchburg’s College Lake Dam Removal Project is a local example upstream of Richmond along Blackwater Creek, a tributary to the James River. Project details for the College Lake Dam Removal Project can be found here.
Along the Rappahannock River, the Embrey Dam was removed in 2004. More information about the Embrey Dam’s removal can be found here.
Yes! The 43-mile Fall Line Trail will pass through Bryan Park. Fall Line Trail planning is currently underway and, before the dams are removed, the Fall Line Trail will go across the upper dam in Bryan Park. Two new permanent bridges will be installed when the dams are removed, and the one in place of the upper dam will be designated as part of the Fall Line Trail route.
Yes! Initial field investigations have been conducted, and additional surveying will continue. You may see field personnel, geotechnical engineers, survey crews, and vehicles within Bryan Park collecting data and performing additional field investigations.
Field investigations are ongoing and on July 30th of 2024 included temporarily testing the lakes' valves. City crews opened the valves to make sure that the valves are operational (good news--they are!). After lake levels were temporarily lowered, both lakes returned back to normal levels.
Ensuring the valves are functioning properly is key as the project plans for construction in the future.
The water levels in the ponds were temporarily lowered on January 17th of 2024 to allow crews to perform required geotechnical, environmental, and soil sampling. Water levels were temporarily lowered so crews could safely use equipment and access the dams. Normal water levels were restored within 24 hours of demobilization as Upham Brook and Jordan’s Branch continued their natural flow.
Yes, the ponds and dams are noted in the National Register nomination for Bryan Park. Listing in these registers (state and federal) is strictly honorary and officially recognizes their historic significance. The National Register encourages, but does not require, the preservation of contributing features and does not prevent a property owner from renovating or restoring features as required by regulatory action from other agencies.
Hazen, an on-call civil engineering firm working with the City, is currently crafting a preliminary design. Design and permitting are expected to take an additional two years.
The project’s anticipated construction duration will be based on many factors and is difficult to estimate before the design is finalized and approved. Based on projects with similar scopes, construction will likely take between 18 months and two years.
As the project progresses, the timeline on this webpage and in the project flyer will be updated.
Our most recent public meeting was held on Wednesday, March 27th of 2024 at 6:00 pm at the Virginia Rep Center for Arts and Education. The slides shared at that meeting are available here.
Future opportunities for further engagement, including the schedule for presentations to the City's Urban Design Committee, will be posted to this project webpage and included in updated copies of the project flyer.
Yes! The City recognizes the Friends of Bryan Park as the official “Friends Group” for Bryan Park. This volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization was founded in 1994 and is made up of lovers of the park from many local jurisdictions.
More information about the Friends of Bryan Park can be found here.
The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities works in partnership with the Friends of Bryan Park and attends their monthly meetings to discuss projects and answer questions from their membership.
Questions, concerns,
or comments?
Please contact:
Bill Boston
Capital Improvement Program Manager
Department of Public Utilities
william.boston2@rva.gov
804.646.8161