FAQ's on Reporting Dam Incidents

1. What events are considered dam incidents?

Dam incidents are events of engineering interest that provide insight to the structural and operation integrity of a dam. The Guidelines for Reporting the Performance of Dams provide a list of events and reporting criteria that define events which are considered dam incidents.

2. How are dam incidents reported?

The process of reporting dam incidents is divided into three steps. They are:

1. Dam Incident Notification - The engineer provides notification to the program as soon as it is known that an incident has occurred. Notification is provided by completing a simple, one page form that is available in the Guidelines for Reporting the Performance of Dams
   
   
2. Submit a Dam Incident Documentation Report - This "report" documents what happened during an incident. This documentation is contained in reports (e.g., inspection reports, memos, photographs, etc.) that are prepared in the course of engineering evaluations. The engineer uses checklists provided in the Guidelines for Reporting the Performance of Dams to gather information on the incident and the as-built characteristics of the dam. The engineer does not have to prepare a "special" report or transcribe information to document an incident, rather copies of available documents can be provided.
   
   
3. Submit Dam Incident Follow-up Reports - Follow-up reports are documents that are generated after an incident. The follow-up reports include the results of an engineering investigation into the incident, the repairs to the dam, or documentation of the costs of flooding in the case of dam failure.

3. When is a dam incident reported?

The Guidelines recommend the following schedule for reporting dam incidents:

4. An inspection report or engineering evaluation may conclude there is an area of concern that requires further evaluation. Is this a dam incident?

No, this is not a dam incident. This would not become an incident until a final decision is reached, following the additional investigation, that an unsafe condition exists.

5. A regulatory agency imposes reservoir restrictions due to safety concerns. Is this an incident?

This is a dam incident. A DIN should be submitted when the regulatory action is taken.

6. In response to a safety problem, modifications to the dam and/or appurtenant structures will be made. How should this incident be reported?

A DIN should be submitted following committment by the dam owner to make the dam modifications. The DIDR should document the reason for the modification, and the current characteristics of the dam. A DIFR is used to document the modification.

7. What happens if two or more organizations submit DINs for an incident?

When this occurs, the NPDP will contact the parties and coordinate submittal of the DIDR and DIFRs.

8. What if information identified in the Guidelines to document a dam or incident is not available?

The Guidelines identify the information that ideally, would be used to document an incident. However, it is not expected or required to undertake special activities to obtain information that does not exist.