INNOVATION July-August 2013

prac t i ce gu i de l i ne s

Legislated Dam Safety Review Guidelines

Dams serve many purposes: they provide storage for drinking water, irrigation, commercial and industrial uses, they aid in flood control, and in British Columbia, hydroelectric power provides 86% of the province’s electricity. However, with these societal benefits also comes risk to public safety in the event of a physical or operational failure. BC experiences on average one dam breach annually. Most of these failures have occurred at smaller sites without loss of life, due in large part to the sparse population surrounding these structures. But, as the population grows and new residential development occurs downstream of dams, greater human, environmental and economic losses are likely to result in the event of future failures. In BC, the Water Act and Dam Safety Regulation has authority over all freshwater dams and holds dam owners liable for any damage caused by the construction, operation or failure of their dam. Provincial legislation requires that dam safety reviews be carried out by professional engineers qualified in “dam safety analysis . ” Until now, little guidance has been available provincially to identify whether a professional engineer is suitably qualified by training or experience to undertake and accept responsibility for such analysis, nor have there been accepted published standards for carrying out dam safety reviews. Commissioned by the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, APEGBC recently published professional practice guidelines for dam safety reviews: Professional Practice Guidelines – Legislated Dam Safety Reviews in BC . The Guidelines define the professional services, standard of care and specific tasks to be provided by APEGBC members conducting this type of work; provide descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of the various participants/stakeholders involved in a dam safety review; and set out expectations for the appropriate knowledge, skill sets and experience to be held by APEGBC members working in this field. It also aims to address

consistency in the reporting prepared by APEGBC members providing professional services in this field of dam safety reviews. Dam safety reviews require a systematic review and evaluation of all aspects of the design, construction, maintenance, operation, processes and systems affecting a dam’s safety, including the dam safety management system. The Guidelines assist in project organization and determination of responsibilities, and provide general principles governing dam safety analysis, quality assurance/quality control, and report presentation. The Guidelines are not intended to serve as a prescriptive technical document but instead provide focus on the issues to be considered when undertaking a dam safety review. In order to meet the legislated requirement “to determine whether the dam is safe”, the Guidelines include the Dam Safety Review Assurance Statement , introducing the term “reasonably safe.” Upon signing this statement, the qualified professional gives their assurance that the dam owner has implemented all dam safety management measures, therefore conforming to the norms considered by the regulatory authority and the engineering profession to reasonably reflect established engineering and dam safety management practices. Although the Guidelines apply to dam safety reviews prepared in response to the British Columbia Dam Safety Regulation, it is recognized that reviews may be prepared for other purposes. For example, mine-related dams are governed under the Mines Act and Health and Safety Regulation Code for Mines in BC (Code), which currently refer qualified professionals to the Canadian Dam Association Guidelines when undertaking dam safety reviews. However, it is anticipated that the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines will adopt the Guidelines in the near future, once an appendix to the Guidelines specifically related to mining dams is complete. The Guidelines were prepared on behalf of APEGBC by a committee

of senior practitioners within BC’s dam engineering community with the assistance of APEGBC staff. The BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations developed the work proposal and provided financial support, matching APEGBC’s contributions. Review was provided by various stakeholders including the province’s dam safety officers, representatives of the Canadian Dam Association, and APEGBC’s Internal Review Task Force. The Guidelines were approved by APEGBC Council in May 2013. The Professional Practice Guidelines – Legislated Dam Safety Reviews in BC are available on the APEGBC website at www.apeg.bc.ca/ppractice/ppdocs.html. v

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