Dams Sector Estimating Economic Consequences for Dam Failure Scenarios

This report provides information on methodologies for estimating direct and indirect economic consequences resulting from dam failure or disruption. The objective is to assist in the development of consequence assessments that are consistent and can be systematically compared across multiple owners and different jurisdictions. The general approaches can be applied to both safety and security scenarios; therefore this report provides the necessary consistent framework for an all-hazards perspective, as required by the NIPP. This report does not address the probability of the triggering event or the probability of unsatisfactory performance leading to the failure or disruption consequences. Consistent estimation of these probabilities constitutes a critical step in the development and implementation of a sector-wide risk assessment framework, but is beyond the scope of this report.
This report is the result of a sector-wide collaborative effort involving public and private partners. The initial version of this document was developed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under Interagency Agreement with DHS. This version incorporates additional contributions provided by multiple public and private Dams Sector stakeholders.