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and ultimately resolved once the one-time "stop gap" inspection program ended. The Federal Government, represented by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of Dam Safety, had little up-to-date state dam safety program data available upon which to base Federal policy recommendations on what the long-term Federal role in non-Federal dam safety should be. The 1982 Phase I Studv of Non-Federal Dams - Review of the Federal Role by a National Academy of Science Committee on Safety of Non- Federal Dams stated that "the problem of poor state supervision of dam safety would be aided by a national perspective on dam safety provided by either a governmental or non-governmental entity."1 FEMA initiated a 1982-83 University of Tennessee study to determine the effectiveness of states in conducting non-Federal dam safety programs in order to assess its position on several dam safety issues and to gather l I pertinent data which would be useful to promote dam safety and to define the future role and alternative actions to follow up the Corps' Inspection Program. State programs and concerns were evaluated from survey questionnaire responses from all fifty states in the areas of 1) statutory authority of the states to regulate dam safety, 2) available funding resources to states and personnel for conducting their dam safety activities, and 3) the states' perceptions of several fundamental Federal- state-private sector dam safety issues. Prominent issues which needed assessment included (1) long-term state capabili ties (financial, institutional and legislative); (2) private owners' capabilities, responsibili ties, liabilities, and insurance; (3) A & E firms' inspection liability; (4) Federal roles in financial/technical assistance to states and owners for inventories, training, and repair of unsafe dams; (5) risk assessment as applied to dam safety; (6) development of national minimum -7.