FLOOD10053

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: A Study to Identify Attitudes and Problems with Integrating Floodplain Management and Dam Safety
• Date: 8/1/1984
• Prepared For: University of Denver
• Prepared By: Stephen A. Spann
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

i

v

The four- major

social

values,

listed below,

were

developed to measure alternate dam safety programs.

1. Human life
2. Envir-onment
3. Cost
4. Program Administration

Five alternative dam safety programs were

identified

and are listed in order of preference based on the ability of

the program to optimize the often conflicting social values.

1. Prohibit further development below reservoir dams
and remove all non-conforming structures.

~

2. Require all dams, regardless of hazard, to safely
pass the probable maximum flood - near zero risk of failure
by natural floods.

3. Risk based design design based on the
probability of failure defined at an acceptable risk level.

4. Status quo is the current dam safety program
requiring all high hazard and moderate hazard dams to safely
pass the probable maximum flood unless no lives are lost and
no additional property damage will occur when the dam failed.

5. Incremental damage concept allows the spillway to
be smaller than that required to pass the probable maximum
flood, provided that when the dam overtopped and failed there
would be no reasonable additional loss of life and the
additional property damage would not be significant.

The following table shows the relative value of

each

program alternative,

as determined by the group, normalized

to the least preferred program - Incremental damages.

PROGRAM ALTERNATIVE

NORMALIZED
PREFERENCE VALUE

.

1. Prohibit development and
remove . r
.., Probable maximum flood
-.
oJ. Risk based design .
4. Status quo
5. Incremental damages

2.65
1. 78
1.34
1. 10
1.00