About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (February 23, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthmbcaa0001 and id is 1 raw text is: *' Congressional Research Service ~Informing the legislative debate since 1914 February 23, 2017 Dam Safety: Federal Programs and Authorities According to the National Inventory of Dams (NID), there are more than 90,000 dams in the United States. Of these, about 4% are owned and operated by the federal government; the remaining 96% are owned by state and local governments, public utilities, or private companies (see Figure 1). Many of these dams were built more than 50 years ago. Recent events-including the evacuation of thousands of people in California due to structural deficiencies of the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam (a state-owned dam)-have led to increased attention on the condition of dams and the federal role in dam safety. This document discusses the U.S. dam inventory, safety repair estimates, federal dam safety efforts, and related issues for Congress. Figure I. Dam Ownership in the United States Other Federal State 1% 45/ 7% 4% Source: National Inventory of Dams, 2017. Inventory and Repair Estimates The NID, maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), catalogs information from 50 states, Puerto Rico, and federal agencies on most of the nation's substantial dams. Of the dams in the NID, about 17% (15,498) are classified as high hazard (i.e., the loss of at least one life is likely if the dam fails). The overall number of high-hazard dams has increased in the past decade, as has the number of dams in need of repair. In 2015, the NID listed about 1,780 state-regulated, high-hazard facilities with structural ratings of poor or unsatisfactory, meaning they were in need of remediation (see Figure 2). The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) estimates that state-regulated, high-hazard dams have repair needs of approximately $18.7 billion (overall needs for state-regulated dams are estimated at $60.7 billion). It is more difficult to track repair needs at nonfederal facilities with no reporting, and there is no comparable aggregate reporting on federal dam safety repair needs. Figure 2. State-Regulated High-Hazard Dams I Remediation Identified but not Completed M Remediation Completed * No Remediation Necessary 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 Number of Daym Source: CRS, using ASDSO and NID data. What Is the Federal Role? The federal dam safety approach can be divided into three categories: (1) support for state dam safety efforts; (2) support for federal dams; and (3) support for certain nonfederal dams. Support for State Dam Safety U.S. states (except Alabama) regulate dam safety for nonfederal dams. The owners of those dams are generally responsible for investing in the safety, rehabilitation, and repair of their dams; selected states provide a limited amount of assistance for these activities. The main source of federal support is the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP), operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). NDSP's primary aim is support for state dam safety agencies. NDSP activities include providing dam safety information resources and training, facilitating information exchanges, and supporting state dam safety programs with grant assistance. NDSP is supported by the National Dam Safety Review Board. The board consists of federal and state members, and it advises FEMA's administrator on national dam safety policy. Separately, the Interagency Committee on Dam Safety-chaired by FEMA and consisting of multiple federal agency members-serves as a forum for coordination of federal efforts to promote dam safety. Another federal agency involved in safety measures for state and nonfederal dams is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which issues licenses and preliminary permits for most nonfederal hydroelectric projects. These projects often include a dam whereby FERC officials review and inspect the dam regularly for safety reasons, among other things. Additionally, FERC has a dam safety 2004 www.crs.gov 1 7-5700 ....... ..

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most