FEMA ends talks with Berkeley Lake, city says

Now, she said, the city's only option is to wait for FEMA's project worksheet, the agency's final word on how much it will spend to fix the dam on North Berkeley Lake Road. Last week, that figure stood at $1.3 million, well below the city-estimated repair bill of $4 million.

The city has said it will appeal FEMA's decision. "It's apparent [FEMA] will not be moved without an appeal," Salter said.

FEMA spokeswoman Terry Ingram said the "lines of communication are open," but at this point, Berkeley Lake officials should be working with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. "It was clearly explained," Ingram said.

"The message I'm getting is they've [FEMA] done all they can," city engineer Rich Edinger said. "If the city isn't satisfied, [it's] going to have to appeal their decision."

Both sides agree that the 500-year storm of last fall caused two slope failures. But they disagree on whether the rains also battered the internal drain system. Berkeley Lake contends that it did. FEMA maintains that the system, installed during a 1980 upgrade to collect water and pipe it away, was a "pre-existing condition."

"What we were really hoping for was that FEMA would embrace our interpretation of what happened to the dam," Edinger said. "They didn't do that. They stuck to their own formula."

Meanwhile, Salter said, the city is pushing ahead with plans for repairs, creating construction documents and pre-qualifying contractors.

"We are not waiting to move forward," she said. "We're trying to worry about the financing on a separate but parallel track."