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State Dam Safety Programs
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States have permitting, inspection and enforcement authority for 80 percent of the 84,000 dams listed in the 2010 National Inventory of Dams.
More state and national statistics are available from the National Inventory of Dams.
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Source: USACE - 2010 National Inventory of Dams
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The vast majority of US dams are privately owned.
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Source: USACE - 2010 National Inventory of Dams
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State Program Resources
Total budgets for dam safety are fluctuating. Many state dam safety programs have experienced cuts in funding as state budgets struggle in general. Technical staffing has remained steady with an overall increase from 2000 to 2011. State by state statistics are available at 2011 State Dam Safety Program Statistics.
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Building State Programs to Address Deficient Dams
The National Dam Safety Program, in cooperation with ASDSO, developed the Model State Dam Safety Program to assist state officials in initiating or improving their state programs. The model outlines the key components of an effective dam safety program and provides guidance on the development of more effective and sustainable state programs to minimize risks created by unsafe dams. It contains chapters on Legislative Authorities, Permitting, Inspection, Enforcement, Emergency Action Planning and Response, Education and Training, and Public Relations.
The table to the right presents the weighted average of state responses over time to a series of yes/no questions on the authorities for each chapter. The areas are listed and weighted by importance (weights indicated in parentheses). Higher percentages indicate greater alignment of the state programs with the model.
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National Dam Safety Program Performance Measures Summary: From 1989 to 2011
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Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for High Hazard Potential Dams
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Nationally the percentage of high hazard potential dams with an EAP has increased from 35% to 66% for the period 1999 to 2011.
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Nearly every state has shown improvement in the number of EAPs for HH dams with no state showing a significant decrease. Many states had increases of several hundred to several thousand percent.
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Nationally for the period 1999 to 2011 the states averaged an increase of 460%. In just the last six reporting years (2006-2011) the states averaged a 66% increase.
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In 2011 twenty-one states reported percentages of high hazard potential dams with an EAP at 90% or greater, up from just ten in 1999.
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There is still room for improvement with eleven states reporting less than 50% of high hazard potential dams with an EAP.
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Inspections of High Hazard Potential Dams
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The chart to the right shows the percentage of inspections completed for high hazard potential dams based on the inspection frequency for a particular state. Inspection percentages vary above and below 100% for any given year based on a state's inspection frequency and scheduling.
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In comparing 2010 to 1998, 29 states reported inspection activity for high hazard potential dams equal to 100% of the 1998 level or greater with an additional eight states at 75% or greater (percentages in the range of 75% and above would likely represent no significant decrease in inspection activity due to scheduling fluctuations).
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The national average for the inspection of high hazard potential dams has remained relatively steady over the reporting period of 1998 to 2010.
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Identification/Remediation of Deficient High Hazard Potential Dams
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Increased inspection efforts by the state programs have resulted in the significant increase in the number of identified deficient high hazard potential dams. The fact that there was not a corresponding large increase in the number of high hazard potential dams remediated shows the need for increased enforcement efforts by states and for new rehabilitation and repair funding sources.
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In 2009 the NID began collecting condition rating data on high hazard potential dams. Those with Poor or Unsatisfactory ratings are considered in need of remediation. For the 2010 NID update 66% of state-regulated high hazard potential dams were rated. States voluntarily submit this data and the number of dams not rated continues to decrease.
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From 2009 to 2010 there was a 19% increase (34% to 53%) in dams with either a Satisfactory or Fair rating. The percentage of dams with condition ratings of Poor and Unsatisfactory (those in need of remediation) increased from 7% to 14% as more dams were rated.
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*2010 data from NID condition assessment with only 66% of State Regulated HHP dams being reported. Prior years’ data was anecdotal totals reported by each state to ASDSO. The condition assessment field, instituted by the NID in 2009, will provide more accurate information on remediation needs than the anecdotal totals as the states report condition assessments for all HHP dams in coming years. As of report date, the NID was being updated and the 2011 Identified in Need of Remediation data point is a repeat of 2010. |
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