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1 [1] (December 9, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbdzv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.ri E~$~ & p\w -- , gnom go mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LULANJILiN, Updated December 9, 2019 Dam Safety: Federal Programs and Authorities In recent years, several incidents have highlighted the public safety risks posed by the failure of dams and related facilities. From 2015 to 2018, over 100 dams breached in North Carolina and South Carolina due to record flooding. In 2017, the near failure of Oroville Dam's spillway in California resulted in a precautionary evacuation of approximately 200,000 people and cost more than $1.1 billion in emergency response and repair. The 2019 failure of Spencer Dam in Nebraska resulted in the first dam- failure fatality in the nation since 2006. In response to these incidents, Congress may consider additional oversight and legislation that could improve dam safety. This In Focus summarizes the U.S. dam inventory, rehabilitation and repair estimates, federal dam safety activities, and related issues for Congress. For more detailed information, see CRS Report R45981, Dam Safety Overview and the Federal Role. The National Inventory of Dams (NID)-maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-catalogs information from 50 states, Puerto Rico, and federal agencies on most of the nation's dams. The NID lists more than 90,000 dams. Federal government agencies (e.g., USACE, U.S. Forest Service) report owning approximately 3% (2,717) of the dams in the NID, including some of the largest dams in the United States. The majority of NID- listed dams are owned by private entities, state and local governments, and public utilities. Although states have regulatory authority for more than 69% of NID-listed dams, the federal government plays a key role in dam safety for both federal and nonfederal dams. Of the dams in the NID, about 17% (15,629) are classified as high hazard potential (i.e., the loss of at least one life is likely if the dam fails). The overall number of dams classified as high hazard potential has increased in the past decade (mostly due to development around dams, not new construction of dams). The NID also includes dams that are deemed not a risk human life: significant hazard potential dams could cause economic loss or environmental damage, and low hazard potential dams could pose limited risk and must meet a size threshold. Dams were built to engineering and construction standards and regulations corresponding to the time of their construction. Over half of the dams with information on their age reported in the NID were built more than fifty years ago. Some dams, including older dams, may not meet current dam safety standards, which have evolved over time as scientific data and engineering have improved. In 2018, the NID listed about 2,384 high hazard potential facilities with structural ratings of poor or unsatisfactory, meaning they were in need of rehabilitation (i.e., to bring up to standard) or repair. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimated that the total cost to rehabilitate nonfederal and federal dams in the NID would exceed $70 billion. Of this estimate, the cost to rehabilitate high hazard potential dams is $3 billion for federal dams and $19 billion for nonfederal dams. W-,-a- ' the. F-ederal R<kA The federal role in dam safety encompasses: (1) support for state dam safety efforts; (2) support for federal dam safety; (3) regulation of certain nonfederal dams, and (4) rehabilitation and repair for certain nonfederal dams. Every state (except Alabama) has established a regulatory program for dam safety, as has Puerto Rico. State dam safety programs typically include safety evaluations of existing dams, review of plans and specifications for dam construction and major repair work, periodic inspections of construction work on new and existing dams, reviews and approval of environmental action plans, and emergency preparedness activities with local officials and dam owners. The dam owners ogenerally are responsible for 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 for state dam safety programs is the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP), operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Authorized in 1996 by the National Dam Safety Program Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. §§467f et seq.), NDSP activities include providing dam safety information resources and training, facilitating information exchanges, and supporting state dam safety programs with grant assistance. FEMA distributes around $7 million annually in dam safety program grants to 49 states and Puerto Rico to support their dam safety activities. The federal government has statutory responsibilities for the monitoring, upkeep, rehabilitation, and repair of federally owned dams. The major federal water resource management agencies, USACE and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), own 42% (1,153) of federal dams, including many large dams: USACE operates more than 700 dams, many with a primary purpose of flood risk reduction. USACE implements a dam safety program consisting of inspections and risk analyses for all USACE dams that indicate the level of investment needed. In FY2018, USACE funded $268 million in work on 10 dam safety .O 'T

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