PRINCETON, W.Va. -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday, April 13, 2026, to recognize construction on the major rehabilitation of Brush Creek No. 15 dam in Mercer County, locally known as Dan Hale Reservoir.

The ceremony was held at the dam site at 541 Gobbler Run Road in Bluefield.

Construction is expected to begin this month.

Dams that are approved for full rehabilitation no longer meet current state or USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) design and safety criteria and performance standards.

The dam is used primarily for flood control, and its rehabilitation will address deficiencies and updated design criteria such as: new filter and drainage criteria, auxiliary spillway capacity and integrity, slope stability and seismic stability.

Dan Hale Reservoir serves as a water supply for local communities and provides recreational fishing.

Brush Creek No. 15 is classified as a “high hazard” dam, which means that failure of the dam could result in loss of human life and/or property.

Sequoia Services of Greensboro, N.C., is the construction contractor for dam rehabilitation.

Multiple state, federal and county-level agencies have worked together on the project, including the West Virginia Conservation Agency, the USDA-NRCS, the Southern Conservation District, the Mercer County Commission and the Green Valley-Glenwood Public Service District.

The total cost of the project is just more than $21,052,244, which includes more than $14.6 million in federal funding and more than $6.4 million in state and local funding. Beginning in 2023, the West Virginia Legislature agreed to the fund the bulk of the state’s 35 percent funding match.

The mission of the West Virginia Conservation Agency is to provide for and promote the protection and conservation of West Virginia’s soil, land, water and related resources for the health, safety and general welfare of the state’s citizens.