The city is waiting for a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a fish ladder that will allow shad -- and possibly short-nosed sturgeon -- to go upriver.
That permit could be issued in the next few months, he said.
Engineers reinspected the dam a week ago at the request of Commissioner Joe Bowles, who was concerned about former Commissioner Andy Cheek's assertions that the dam was in such bad shape it could fail.
Jiminez said the repairs made in 2005 have held.
"So, we felt comfortable in telling your director that we stand by the recommendation that you wait until you build the fish ladder, and at that point you can really take care of the whole thing," he said.
Cheek spoke to commissioners about his concerns over the dam's condition during the public comment section of a commission meeting a couple of months ago, warning them that if the dam failed it would cost millions of dollars to repair.
Augusta's assistant utilities director, Drew Goins, said that the dam and canal bank are inspected every year but that because of Cheek's comments it had been reinspected.
Jiminez assured commissioners that even if the diversion dam failed, causing the Augusta Canal to go dry, the pumping station on the river could pump 44 million gallons of water a day thanks to recent turbine upgrades.
The dam was built in 1875, and a fish ladder on the South Carolina side of the river, designed by the Chief of Fisheries of the U.S. was built in 1886, but it never passed any fish, Jiminez said.
