According the the Free Lance Star,a House committee yesterday approved a bill that will allow Lake of the Woods to keep its dam as-is, without having to shell out millions of dollars to upgrade it.

Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, submitted the bill because he said the state's revised dam regulations were excessive. The regulations, for example, required the Lake of the Woods dam to be able to hold 37 inches of rain over a 24-hour period -- an amount that Houck and his supporters say has never happened. The dam can hold 21 inches in 24 hours, is otherwise structurally sound, and has won awards for its management.

Upgrading the dam was expected to cost $6 million, which worked out to $1,200 per household.

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