Following 15 months since it last inspected the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam, the state is waiting until next Friday to decide whether its engineers will conduct a second structural assessment.

The last time the Department of Land and Natural Resources inspected the dam was Oct. 10, 2006, when state engineers conducted phase I of its post-breach review, Deborah Ward, DLNR spokeswoman, said yesterday.

Board of Land and Natural Resources member Ron Agor said the safety of the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam is of top priority.

The state is charged with the task of inspecting the dam, which breached March 14, 2006. The breach took the lives of seven people and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property.

Bill McCorriston, an attorney for Ka Loko Reservoir owner Jimmy Pflueger, had asked the Board of Land and Natural Resources in February to hold off on using DLNR engineers to inspect the dam, stating his client is being criminally investigated by the Attorney General’s office.

The BLNR has since twice deferred its decision on whether it will allow Pflueger’s engineers to substitute as inspectors for the dam.

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(Source: Amanda C. Gregg, Kauai Garden Island News)