COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Description:
This course will introduce the principles and practices of dam safety from a dam owner’s perspective. It has been widely recognized by researchers in several US states that there is a significant difference between the perceived acceptable dam safety practices by many dam owners and the minimal acceptable dam safety practices recognized by dam safety officials and engineers. It has been this engineer’s experience that this course document is effective in educating dam owners. It is often included with reports to the owner(s) pertaining to dam maintenance, repair or construction. By educating dam owners about dam safety and by providing this FEMA manual to owners, which is the course content, the gap between perceived and actual acceptable practices can be narrowed. While the manual is written in layman’s terms, it can be a very effective tool for educating dam owners, which can help prevent or reduce some engineering problems with the dams. This manual stresses the importance to the dam owner of the development and active pursuit of a dam safety program. Educating dam owners in dam safety serves to protect them and the public.
This course includes a multiple choice/true false quiz at the end and is intended to provide 8 hours of professional development.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student will have learned or been exposed to the following:
Urgency for Dam Safety
Dam Ownership and Safety
The Increasing Complexity of the dam Safety Problem
An Approach to Dam Safety
The Watershed System
Types of Dams
Water Retention Ability
Release of Water
Hazards as Sources of Risk
Site-Specific Structural Risks
Sources of Dam Failures
Objectives of a Safety Program
Guidelines for Accessing Existing Conditions
Procedural Guidelines – A Source Book
Documenting the Safety Program
Inspection Guidelines
Organizing for Inspections
Embankment Dams and Structures
Concrete Dams and Structures
Spillways
Inlets, Outlets, and Drains
Reasons for Instrumentation
Instrument Types and Usage
Frequency of Monitoring
Maintenance Priorities
Specific Maintenance Items
General Maintenance
Maintenance Priorities
Immediate Maintenance
Required Maintenance at Earliest Possible Date
Specific Maintenance Items
The Emergency Action Plan
Identification of Emergency Conditions and Initiation of Emergency Response
Guidelines for Emergency Notification
Operations Plan Guidelines
Schedule of Routine Tasks
Record Keeping
Supplements to Dam Safety
Liability
Measures to Reduce the Consequences of Dam Failure
