National Dam Safety Awareness Day
May 31st is National Dam Safety Awareness Day. Dams are a vital resource for many people. Their purpose can be to provide recreation, water supply, flood control, hydropower, and much more.
There are many benefits that come from a properly built and maintained dam. But along with these benefits come significant risks. Dams require routine maintenance and inspections on a regular basis. Failure of a dam can have catastrophic results including property damage (homes, businesses, utilities, roads, farm ground, etc.); environmental damages; the loss of the resource; or even death.
Dam safety is a combination of many factors. Understanding the construction and composition of the dam is very important for evaluating the stability of the structure and an owner’s associated risks. Commonwealth’s team has the experience you need to evaluate your dam and identify the actions needed to keep or to bring your dam up to recognized dam safety standards.
The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) offers several resources to non-members for free on their website: http://damsafety.org. As a member of ASDSO, Commonwealth has access to additional resources including the Dam Safety Resource Database featuring documents to assist in the review, inspection, and design of your dam to keep your structure in compliance.
Please contact Dale Gick, PE for questions or consultation regarding your dam.
