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<br />Colorado Dam Failure Hazard <br /> <br />Background of Dam Failure <br />Flooding <br /> <br />Approximately 27,000 dams exist in Colorado. Our <br />state and the U.S. have a history of catastrophic dam <br />failures such as the Lawn Lake (Estes Park) Dam <br />Break disaster which resulted in three fatalities and <br />more than $30 million in damages. In 1992, four dams <br />in Colorado developed serious problems, threatening <br />downstream residents and property. With the large <br />number of dams in Colorado, many of them very old, it <br />is only a matter of time before the next dam failure re- <br />lated disaster happens. <br /> <br />Since 1890, there have been at least 130 dam inci- <br />dents and failures in Colorado. In recent years, the <br />failure rate has remained significant while consequen- <br />tial costs have escalated. Since 1965, 30 failures or se- <br />rious incidents that could lead to failure have <br />occurred, mainly from mechanical flaws or overtop- <br />ping during flooding. Colorado has been fortunate that <br />life and property losses from dam failure have not <br />been greater. <br /> <br />Annual historical precipitation in Colorado is less <br />than 16 inches. Runoff from snowpack in the high <br />mountain areas represents a vitill resource in this <br />semi-arid state. Control of the runoff through reser- <br />voir development and construction has been a historic <br />priority. Dams have been constructed in Colorado <br />since the early 1900s for human water supply, irriga- <br />tion, livestock, flood protection, energy generation, <br />and recreation. AI; dams age and water demand <br />grows, the risk of dam failure grows. AI; Colorado's <br />population increases, more Coloradans will be at risk. <br /> <br />The Office of the State Engineer, whose statutory re- <br />sponsibility includes dam safety, recognizes the seri- <br />ousness of the dam failure hazard and is strongly <br />committed to efforts to reduce the hazard, including <br />strengthening laws and regulations that promote dam <br />safety and dedicating staff resources to mitigation ac- <br />tivity. <br /> <br />To date, activity and debate on dam safety has pri- <br />marily stressed structurally-oriented measures: in- <br />spections, construction and repair standards, and <br /> <br /> <br />spillway design standardization. Nonstructural meas- <br />ures to protect lives and property have been imple- <br />mented at a slower rate. Few community emergency <br />preparedness plans for dam hazards exist. <br /> <br />N onstructural. refers to dam safety measures <br />undertaken by government that are not closely <br />related to the structure of the dam itself (fou~ <br />dations, abutments), e.g" warning and evacu- <br />ation plans, zoning, etc, <br /> <br />Emergency preparedness planning aimed at reducing <br />the consequences and impacts of .catastrophic dam <br /> <br />7 <br />