The National Hydropower Association recognized the project with the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waterways Operational Excellence Award.
Dams are classified by hazard potential by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). A high hazard potential rating doesn’t necessarily mean that the dam is at an increased risk for failure; it means that if a failure were to occur, the consequences would likely be direct loss of human life and severe property damage. In the past two decades, the quantity of high hazard potential dams has more than doubled as larger developments replace once-rural dams and reservoirs. Eighty-one percent of these dams have established an emergency action plan, but ASDSO estimates there are still more than 2,300 deficient dams with high hazard potentials. Dam failures are a risk to public safety and other major infrastructure including roads, bridges and water systems —potentially costing billions of dollars in damages. In contrast to the many safety risks associated with aging dams, modernized dams protect the public in many ways:
Facilities can be designed for flood control in high-risk areas to protect downstream homes, businesses, and schools.
Reservoirs provide a reliable, resilient and robust water supply in times of drought.
Water discharge temperature and volume can be regulated for downstream fisheries and other environmental reasons.
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Implement ‘Safety by Design’ Best Practices
Reduce project lifecycle risk to construction personnel, facility employees and community members by incorporating safety considerations throughout the design process of a new dam facility. Leverage 3D modeling to enable engineers to “walk” through the design before it’s built, evaluate subsurface data, detect clashes, and mitigate constructability. Utilize sophisticated risk-based evaluation techniques to prioritize repairs and enhancements. For existing dams, it may be too late for major design considerations, but safety can still be optimized with more intentional approaches to O&M. The use of drones has proven to be an effective way to remotely perform inspections in areas that are unsafe or inaccessible for humans, such as interior penstocks.
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Educate the Surrounding Community
When it comes to dam safety, it’s essential to be proactive rather than reactive. Dam owners, local governments, and emergency management professionals should consider educating your surrounding communities on the potential damage from a dam failure. This awareness will push policymakers towards decisions to enable appropriate land use, emergency response planning, funding for maintenance and rehabilitation — effectively reducing risks to the community, the economy, and to your dam’s long-term resiliency.
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Prepare for Natural Disasters
Dam operators must have an emergency plan ready to go for natural disasters including long-term and short-term preparation measures and post-event responses. All personnel and stakeholders should be well-versed in how to communicate and execute on this plan to protect your assets and the surrounding community. Depending on the region, the biggest natural threats to dams that you must prepare for include:
Hurricanes precipitation that could lead to flooding (even from the downstream side with risks of the dam reversing)
Freezing temperatures and ice formation
Earthquakes
Wildfires blocking access to critical infrastructure and affecting reservoir water quality
Droughts that reduce reservoir intake below design standards
Black & Veatch’s eBook on natural disaster resiliency explains how critical infrastructure operators should plan, prepare, respond and recover in the face of extreme weather events, earthquakes and wildfires.
