PUB00008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Colorado Division of Water Resources' Dam Safety Branch's objective is to prevent property damage and the loss of life, while protecting the loss of water supplies due to the failure of dams in Colorado. The Dam Safety Program includes the enforcement ofa comprehensive set of regulations, policies, and procedures for the design, construction, and maintenance of dams; the safe operation of reservoirs; and emergency preparedness planning. The Dam Safety Program is managed by the State Engineer in accordance with Title 37, Article 87 ofC.R.S. and the Livestock Water Tank Act, Title 35, Article 49 ofC.R.S. The program is implemented by the State Engineer through the Dam Safety Branch and the Division field offices. The Branch currently consists of a branch chief, dam safety engineers, and design review engineers. Currently, the program oversees a total of about 2,900 dams in Colorado with 1,879 dams of jurisdictional size. Of these, about 1,757 are non-federal dams. Of the non-federal dams, approximately 591, or about one-third of the total non-federal dams in Colorado, are classified as dams that, in the event of a failure, would be expected to cause loss of life and/or significant property damage to a significant portion of the state's population. For FY 03-04, the Dam Safety Program achieved a great number of goals and objectives in the design review and inspection of dams for the determination of safe water storage levels. Although dam safety incidents were reported again this year, because of our program, these incidents resulted in reduced consequences with no loss of life or significant property damage. This is attributed to the increased awareness and responsibility of the dam owners for their dams - including emergency preparedness planning - and to the enforcement of the regulations, policies, and procedures by our office. During FY 03-04, the State Engineer's Office approved plans for five new dams and thirty-four plans for alteration, modification, or enlargement. Twelve separate hydrology studies were also approved for determination of the inflow design flood for spillway design. The estimated cost of construction for the submitted plans was over $39 million. During FY 03-04, a total of 621 dam safety inspections and 238 construction inspections were conducted for a total of859 inspections. In addition, 163 follow-up inspections were performed. At the conclusion of the reporting period, there were 186 dams restricted from full storage due to various structural deficiencies such as significant leakage, cracking and sliding of embankments, and inadequate spillways. Total storage restricted was 137,559 acre-feet. The restrictions provide risk reduction for the public and environment until the problems are corrected. Although many dams were repaired and removed from the restricted list within the last year, a number of dams were also added to the list during the same time period. The change in the restriction from the same time last year resulted in a slight reduction in the number of dams on the restricted list and the volume of the restrictions decreased approximately 6,000 acre-feet. Approximately half of the dams on the Colorado Division of Water Resources restricted list have been on that list for ten years or longer. The state has been able to acquire and maintain a solid group of experienced professionals, and has adequate statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures to implement and carry out the program. The Dam Safety Branch continues to lIse risk-based tools to help evaluate and prioritize the jurisdictional dams in Colorado in order to more efficiently and effectively use program resources.