The operation of dams across three federal agencies in the U.S. is appropriate and sound but can benefit from some areas of improvement, according to a new report.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), alongside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Bureau of Reclamation, contracted with a panel of dam experts, all external to their agencies, to review their dam safety practices at the direction of U.S. congress. The review took place after the 2017 spillway failure at California’s Oroville Dam, which triggered broad industry concerns about the safety of dams nationwide.
The results of this yearlong study to assess the use of risk-informed dam safety practices revealed that the way the nation operates its dams across three federal agencies is appropriate and sound but can benefit from some areas of improvement.
“Congress … asked USACE to coordinate an independent review of the risk policies and methods used to assess risk across the three major federal agencies that own, operate, or regulate dams in the U.S. It was Congress’ intent to inform improvements broadly in national dam safety practices,” said Risk Management Center’s Director, Nate Snorteland, whose work falls under USACE’s Institute for Water Resources.
The panel encompassed individuals from the U.S., the Netherlands and Australia and included academicians and a private sector consultant.
In addition to evaluating agencies’ use of risk in dam safety and regulation, the panel considered how dam safety practices are affected by human factors, as well as how risk-informed analysis in other industries may be applicable to dam safety practices.
According to Snorteland, documents provided by the agencies were reviewed and each agency briefed the panel on their policies and methods. “The panel spent more than a year examining the documents and discussing them with the three agencies. Ultimately, they provided a draft report, received feedback from the agencies, and provided an out brief to the agency leadership,” Snorteland said. The report has completed clearance and is ready for release.
The review showed that overall, the risk management programs for dam safety in the three agencies are appropriate and sound. Additionally, the agencies’ implementation of risk-informed decision-making is consistent with federal guidance despite differing levels of dam safety program development between agencies. The panel felt the level of cooperation between agencies and progress made by the agencies over the last 10 years was important and improved safety overall.
The report also highlighted issues that warrant attention. Specifically, the panel recommended agencies incorporate practices used in other industries more fully, such as incorporating human factors into the risk methods. The team also recommended agencies fully calibrate models used in risk analyses and employ expert judgments to support safety assessments. Other recommendations included improving communication with the public on their risk exposure.
USACE concurred with each of the recommendations and has developed a plan to implement improvements over the next several years, according to a release.
