FLOOD04994

• County: Statewide
• Community: na
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Guidelines on Selection of Acceptable Flood Capacity for Dams
• Date: 3/1/2000
• Prepared By: Australian National Committee on Large Dams
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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TERM

Hazard

DEFINITION

Threat, condition, which may result from an eA'temal
cause (e.g, earthquake or flood), with the potential for
creating adverse consequences. A source of potential
hann or a situation with a potential to cause loss

consequences of Incremental losses or damage which dam failure rnight
inflict on upstream areas, downstream areas, or at the dam,
over and above any losses which might have occurred for
the same natural event or conditions, had the dam not
failed

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i
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j
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j

Incremental
failure

Individual Risk Criterion.

Joint probability

Loss of Life (LOL)
Also potential loss oflife (PLL)

Owner

t Population at risk
(PAR)

Probabilistic

Probability

Probability density function
(pdt)

,
..

The sociaIIy acceptable level of risk to a particular
individual.

The probability that two or more variables will assume
certain values simultaneously or within particular time
intervals

Estimated loss oflife due to a dam break

Person or legal person, including a company, organisation,
government unit, public utility, corporation or other
entity, which either holds a government license to operate
a dam or retains the legal property title on the dam site,
dam and/or reservoir, and which is responsible for the
safety of the dam

All those persons who would be directly exposed to
floodwaters within the dambreak affected zone if they
took no action to evacuate. See the definition of
dambreak affected zone

Relating to a view that says that all that is known of
natural phenomena is the probabilistic statement of what
has occurred. Any procedures based on the application of
the laws of probability

A "probability" is a measure of the degree of confidence
in a prediction, as dictated by the information, concerning
the Jlature of an uncertain quantity or occurrence of an
uncertain future event. It is an estimate of the likely
magnitude of the uncertain quantity or likelihood of the
occurrence of an uncertain future event (the risk guidelines
differentiate 'between Statistical, Subjective and
Mathematical probability).

A function describing the relative likelihood that a random
variable will assume a particular value in contrast to
taking on other values

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ANCOLD Guidelines on Selection of an Acceptable flood Capacity for Dams