Dam Safety Program
Contact: Peter Soeth, (303) 445-3615
The Dam Safety Program ensures that Reclamation's 476 dams and dikes meet its commitment to protect public safety and welfare, property, the environment, and cultural resources. Approximately 50 percent of Reclamation's dams were built between 1900 and 1950. The majority of these were built prior to current state-of-the-art design and construction practices. The Dam Safety Program requires Reclamation dams to be examined by specialists every three years, with additional internal reviews performed annually. The Fiscal Year 2005 budget request for the Dam Safety Program is $64 million.
Dam Modification Activities: The Reclamation Safety of Dams Act, as amended, ensures that structural modifications are expeditiously made when unreasonable public risks are identified.
Ongoing Modifications: The FY 2005 budget request of $64 million includes funds for ongoing dam safety modifications to reduce risks at the following dams:
| Deer Creek Dam | Provo River Project, Utah | $4,150,000 |
| Grassy Lake Dam | Minidoka Project, Wyoming | $2,300,000 |
| Pineview Dam | Ogden River Project, Utah | $1,375,000 |
Initiation of Safety of Dams Corrective Actions: The budget request also includes $38.25 million ($2.3 million of which is for Grassy Lake Dam above) for modifications at the following dams for which modification reports have not yet been submitted to Congress. These projects are scheduled to be in ongoing construction status or started in FY 2005:
A. R. Bowman Dam, Crooked River Project, Oregon Hyrum Dam, Hyrum Project, Utah Lauro Dam, Cachuma Project, California Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam, Folsom Unit, CVP, California Stony Gorge Dam, Orland Project, California
Pre-construction activities will be underway at other dams where Reclamation has determined that there is a need to reduce dam safety risks.
Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams: The FY 2005 budget request includes $18.0 million for completing safety evaluation of existing dams, including performance monitoring, examinations, analyses, field data investigations, technical studies and development activities.
Department of the Interior Dam Safety Program: As the lead agency for the Department of the Interior's Dam Safety Program, Reclamation's request includes $1.7 million in the FY 2005 budget for facilitation and guidance to other Interior bureaus for their Dam Safety Programs.