Page - 1554 - in Book of Full Papers - Symposium Hydro Engineering

2. THE “AXIS” OF A DAM SAFETY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ICOLD Bulletin 154 [6] provides a general process for managing the safety of dams during the operational phase of the life-cycle (Figure 1). This framework and variations of it have a proven track record of effectiveness in managing the risks from dams over many years. Does the dam meet all safety expectations ? Operate and maintain dam in conformance with dam safety goals; maintain emergency preparedness Can the dam readily be made to be safe enough to operate? Make improvements as required Ye s Are interim measures available and sufficient? No or uncertain Accept risk Develop safety management options Mitigate unacceptable consequences Reduce consequences Ye s Improve dam to acceptable level Improve dam Authority Acceptance: - "Dam is Safe Enough" S ch ed ul ed Dam Safety Review Yes Conduct routine Surveillance DAM SAFETY OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES DAM SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES No or uncertain No or uncertain Which option is preferred?A Figure 1. Dam Safety Management Process (ICOLD, 2017) The effective implementation of the activities shown on the left side of the framework is essential for real-time dam safety management, demanding diligent attention by the dam owner. As such, these ongoing activities under normal operational conditions can be considered to form the axis of a dam safety management program that all other dam safety activities depend on in some way. The importance of diligence and thoroughness in conducting these activities cannot be overstated as investigations into dam failures and incidents invariably point to weakness in implementation of these activities together with other factors such as management and organisational weakness, human error and the likes. For example, the Independent Forensic Report on the Oroville Dam Spillway incident found weakness in the three activities together with significant management and organisational factors and professional practice concerns. ICOLD Bulletin 154 does not provide detailed treatment of the activities that are carried out in these implementation steps, referring instead to other ICOLD 1554