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Pocket Safety Guide for Dams and Impoundments

Introduction

This "Pocket Safety Guide for Dams and Impoundments" was developed for dam owners and other people as a quick reference when assessing low hazard dams and impoundments. For indepth discussion, please refer to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "Low Hazard Dams—Standing Operating Procedures" or FEMA 145, "Dam Safety: An Owner's Guidance Manual."

Dam—Any artificial barrier, including appurtenant works, that impounds or diverts water on a temporary or long-term basis. For the purposes of this guide, when we refer to dams, we also are referring to impoundments.

Hazard potential classification—A system that categorizes dams according to the degree of adverse incremental consequences from their failure or misoperation, that does not reflect in any way on their current condition (their safety, structural integrity, or flood routing capacity), and that includes the following categories:

  • High hazard potential—loss of one human life is likely if the dam fails.
  • Significant hazard potential—possible loss of human life and likely significant property or environmental destruction.
  • Low hazard potential—no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses.

Various Federal and State agencies may have different definitions for the dams over which they have jurisdiction. Please refer to your agency or State dam regulatory requirements for direction.