Dam safety technical resources
These documents, templates and links provide helpful information and guidance for dam owners and operators and their consultants when designing new dams, undertaking inspections, maintenance and surveillance, or assessing deficiencies at an existing dam.
Resources
Below are categorized guidelines, documentation, templates, and various resources. These documents should be reviewed and used by dam owners, operators, managers, and related stakeholders such as consultants and dam engineers.
- Plans Submission Guidelines for the Construction and Rehabilitation of Dams (PDF)
- Plans Review Checklist 2017 (DOC)
- Estimating Dam Break Downstream Inundation (PDF)
- Consequence of Failure Classification Guideline (PDF)
- EGBC Professional Practice Guidelines for Site Characterization for Dam Foundations in BC
- Public Safety Signage Requirements for Dams on Crown Land (PDF)
- B.C. Streamflow Inventory
- 2020 National Building Code of Canada Seismic Hazard Tool
- Dam Decommissioning Guidelines (PDF)
- Operation, Maintenance and Surveillance Plan (PDF, DOC)
- Inspection & Maintenance of Dams - Manual (PDF, 6MB)
- Dam Safety Pocketbook - Quick Reference Guide
- Site Surveillance Form – Concrete Dams (PDF, DOC)
- Site Surveillance Form – Earth or Rockfill Dams (PDF, DOC)
- Annual Formal Inspection Form (PDF, XLS, DOC)
- Dam Safety Audit Check Sheet (PDF)
- Dam Emergency Plan Information Sheet (PDF)
- NEW Instructions, Guide & Templates for Preparing a Dam Emergency Plan in BC (PDF 2.1MB) (DOC 2.1MB)
- Emergency Dam Assessment & Immediate Response Actions (DOC)
- EGBC Professional Practice Guidelines for Legislated Dam Safety Reviews
- Dam Safety Review Check Sheet - September 2015 (PDF)
- Request for Proposals for Dam Safety Reviews (DOC)
- Field Review Checklist for Dam Safety Reviews (XLS)
Hazards and Failure Modes Analysis (HFMM)
- HFMM – Introduction (PDF)
- HFMM – Analysis Procedure (PDF)
- HFMM – Chart of Global Failure Modes NEW (PDF)
- HFMM – Safety Analysis Framework (PDF)
The Dam Safety Section has initiated and managed a B.C. Extreme Flood Project to supplement available hydrology and hydrometeorological information. The goal was to improve the quality, confidence and accessibility of baseline data pertaining to the magnitude and uncertainty of extreme flood events in B.C. The information will be useful for design of dams, spillways, and dikes as well as linear infrastructure stream crossings.
The B.C. Extreme Flood Project was completed in collaboration between the Dam Safety Section, technical advisors, and consultants between 2018 and 2021. The B.C. Regional Flood Frequency Analysis Portal shows locations of hydrometric stations and corresponding drainage areas which were analyzed to estimate the magnitude of peak flow events.
- EGBC Advisory on Dam Hydrologic Loading
- BC Extreme Flood Project (PDF)
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_10yr_pred_log10model_summary
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_100yr_pred_log10model_summary
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_200yr_pred_log10model_summary
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_FlowIntervals_R0D
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_Historical_flood_events
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.dbf
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.prj
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.qpj
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.shp
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.shx
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_HYD_BC_fullstudyarea.zip
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0.dbf
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0.prj
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0.shp
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0.shx
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0.zip
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_PerceptionThresholds_R0D
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_station_metadata.R0
- Bulletin_2020-1-RFFA_NHC_all_watersheds.R0(KML file).zip
- MetPortal for British Columbia
- Canadian Dam Association
- Association of State Dam Safety Officials
- Federal (USA) Emergency Management Agency – Dam Safety Publications and Resources
- Federal (USA) Energy Regulatory Commission – Dam Safety and Inspection
- State of Washington – Dam Safety
- US Army Corps of Engineers – Dam Safety Program
- US Department of the Interior – Bureau of Reclamation
- Canadian Water Resources Association