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Dam Safety & Management

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Dam Safety & Management

Across the country, more than 90,000 dams provide vital benefits, from water supply and irrigation to flood control, energy generation, and recreation. But aging infrastructure, growing development downstream, and climate extremes are increasing the risks associated with dams, especially for the communities they protect.

Ensuring dam safety isn't just an engineering issue. It's a public safety imperative.

Reservoir, structure, downstream

Dam safety connects upstream storage, the embankment or concrete structure, spillways, and people and infrastructure downstream.

Why Dam Safety Demands Your Attention

Dam incidents, whether from neglect, structural failure, overtopping, or sabotage, can lead to catastrophic flooding with little warning. Some communities have just minutes to respond.

Key Risk Factors:
  • Aging infrastructure with deferred maintenance
  • Inadequate emergency action plans
  • Limited local awareness of downstream risk
  • Increasing rainfall and storm intensity
  • Lack of coordination across agencies
💡 Many high-hazard dams are privately owned or locally managed, yet their failure could impact thousands of people. Community leaders, dam owners, and emergency managers must work together to identify, monitor, and mitigate dam-related risks.

What Dam Owners and Local Officials Can Do

Know Your Dams and Their Classifications

Not all dams pose the same risk. Classification is based on potential consequences of failure, not the likelihood.

  • High hazard: Likely loss of life if failure occurs
  • Significant hazard: No probable loss of life, but major economic or environmental damage
  • Low hazard: Limited damage
Use your state's dam inventory or the National Inventory of Dams to understand which dams affect your jurisdiction.
Maintain and Inspect Regularly

Inspections help identify issues like seepage, slope instability, cracking, or vegetation growth that can compromise structural integrity.

  • Follow inspection schedules required by your state
  • Document and act on findings
  • Work with qualified engineers for structural assessments
Dam Maintenance Resources
Develop and Update Emergency Action Plans (EAPs)

Every high-hazard dam should have an up-to-date, actionable EAP, and it should be coordinated with local emergency services and regularly exercised.

  • Flood inundation maps
  • Roles and notification procedures
  • Evacuation zones and timelines
  • Drill and training schedule
Emergency Action Plan Guidelines
Engage the Community and First Responders

Involve local officials, law enforcement, and the public in dam safety awareness. Many downstream residents are unaware they live in a potential flood zone.

  • Include dam failure scenarios in local hazard mitigation plans
  • Conduct outreach on warning systems and evacuation routes
  • Train responders on dam-specific incidents
Integrating Dam Safety Into Hazard Mitigation Planning
Plan for Climate and Future Conditions

Changing rainfall patterns and land use increase pressure on dams. Evaluate how:

  • More intense storms could lead to overtopping
  • Warmer weather affects snowmelt and spillway operations
  • Development increases downstream vulnerability
Use scenario planning and updated hydrologic models to reassess capacity and hazard classification.

Take the Lead on Dam Risk Reduction

Whether you're a public works official, utility operator, emergency manager, or local leader, dam safety starts with asking the right questions:

  • Do we know which dams affect our community?
  • Are inspections and EAPs up to date?
  • Are we engaging the public and emergency responders?
  • Have we planned for a failure scenario, however unlikely?
Essential Tools & Resources: