Inspection Requirements

Compilation of state practices for update for Model State Dam Safety Program.

Questions:
1. Who is responsible for conducting periodic dam safety inspections in your state (ex. the state, a consultant hired by the state, the owner, or a consultant hired by the owner) and please breakdown the answer by classification if appropriate? The NDSRB State Evaluation Criteria provided the following information; please review and modify it for your state as necessary.
2. Please describe the type of inspection required and the mandated frequency for each type; by class if appropriate. Please see the descriptions used by New Jersey on the last page of the survey as an example of inspection types.
3. What is the actual inspection frequency for each class of dam?
4. Please list any state requirements for certification or other qualifications for the person(s) (either state inspector or private consultant) conducting the inspection, and breakdown the answer by inspection type/classification if appropriate.
5. Does the private consultant pay a fee to the state for the certification? Amount of the fee?
6. What are the written standards for the inspection procedure and the inspection report? Please use the following list as a guide in answering, and include additional items and information as necessary. Identify the standards by class as appropriate. Please attach examples and/or copies of written standards if they are available. (a) File review/pre-inspection research. (b) Hydrologic/Hydraulic calculations. (c) Stability calculations. (d) Field inspection requirements – photos, etc. (e) Downstream potential hazard evaluation. (f) Review of the O&M/EAP. (g) Inspection report format/content.
7. If the inspection is conducted by other than the state, to whom does the owner or their engineer submit a report of the inspection?
8. What is the timeframe for submittal of an owner-responsible inspection report?
9. What follow-up actions does the state take for quality assurance/quality control of the inspections and reports?
10. How many hours are spent on QA/QC by state staff for each inspection?
11. If the inspection is conducted by other than the state, what enforcement efforts do you take to assure that all dam owners submit an inspection?
12. How many hours are spent on enforcement efforts by state staff?
13. Is there a fee to the dam owner or consultant to fund QA/QC efforts?
14. How does your state’s inspection procedure (either state or owner-responsible) improve or diminish the quality of the inspections?
15. How does your state’s inspection procedure (either state or owner-responsible) improve or diminish overall dam safety?

The ASDSO surveys archive is available to members through the members only section of DamSafety.org