Laserfiche WebLink
<br />\ <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />Colorado Dam Safety Proqram <br /> <br />Dam safety issues have been <br /> <br />a concern of <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />lawmakers since <br /> <br />1879 where safety and control of reservoir <br /> <br />dams were placed in the hands of <br /> <br />county commissioners. <br /> <br />In <br /> <br />1889 the state legislators placed the responsibility of dam <br /> <br />safety with the Colorado State Engineer. <br /> <br />Since 1889, the dam safety program grew from a one <br /> <br />man <br /> <br />collateral <br /> <br />duty to a full <br /> <br />time program staffed with <br /> <br />sixteen professional engineers. <br /> <br />Colorado Revised Statutes <br /> <br />(C.R.S. <br /> <br />1973, <br /> <br />Title 37, <br /> <br />Article 83, as amended) sets the <br /> <br />responsibility of dam safety squarely upon the office of the <br /> <br />state engineer. <br /> <br />The dam safety branch, a line and staff unit <br /> <br />of the state engineer's office, has two primary functions: <br /> <br />1. <br /> <br />Inspect reservoir dams and <br /> <br />determine the safe <br /> <br />storage level for each. <br /> <br />.., <br />~. <br /> <br />Review and approve plans and <br /> <br />specifications <br /> <br />for <br /> <br />the repair or construction of reservair dams. <br /> <br />The state engineer has total <br /> <br />jurisdiction over the <br /> <br />safety of all reservoir dams in Colorado. <br /> <br />However, the state <br /> <br />engineer- <br /> <br />concentrates his assets only on those dams required <br /> <br />by law and those which are creating a public threat. <br /> <br />In <br /> <br />order <br /> <br />for <br /> <br />the state engineer <br /> <br />to properly <br /> <br />administer the safety program and allocate his resources, the <br /> <br />5 <br />