Dam failures can pose safety risks to an often-unaware public. Many communities in the United States are near at least one dam, Garrett County is no exception. The largest dams with the potential to affect Garrett County include the Savage River Dam, the Bloomington Dam on the Potomac River, and the Deep Creek Lake Dam. Smaller dams include the Piney Creek Dam and the New Germany Dam. Two other dams of significance to the county include the Mt. Storm Dam and the Stony River Dam, both of which are in West Virginia on the Stony River, a tributary of the Potomac. Failure of either of these dams would affect the downstream communities of Kitzmiller and Bloomington and would also impact the Bloomington Dam.
In addition, the town of Friendsville is located downstream from the Deep Creek Lake Dam. Finally, six flood control impoundments constructed by the Soil Conservation Service in the 1970’s are located upstream of parts of Oakland, Mountain Lake Park, Loch Lynn Heights and Deer Park in the Little Youghiogheny Watershed.
Dams play a vital role in the nation’s overall infrastructure as they provide flood protection, water supply reservoirs, hydroelectric power, irrigation, and recreation. The average age for one of the United States’ 91,000 dams is more than 53 years. Dam safety is important for the security and well-being of the communities they support. FEMA’s hope is to continue to spread awareness about dam safety in the United States to a younger audience through this coloring book.
FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program (NDSP) is excited to announce the release of “ Document Dam Safety with Beaverly (2.61 MB) ", a children’s coloring book. This coloring book was created to help children, or young students, learn more about dams and safety around them.
