Regulating Dam Safety in Oklahoma: Updating SOPs to Enhance Enforcement Efforts

ABSTRACT ONLY - Dam safety is about more than just rules and regulations; it’s about protecting the people and communities across Oklahoma. From a regulatory perspective, one of the biggest tools we have for dam safety is the set of laws and rules outlined in our administrative codes. However, ensuring the safety of our dams requires more than just having these rules in place. It requires regularly reevaluating the rules to ensure they still serve their intended purpose, as well as creating straightforward procedures to implement those rules and achieve compliance. These are exactly the things we’ve been working on recently. We’ve taken a close look at our rules, made adjustments to improve enforcement, and revamped our Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to help us achieve better compliance. This presentation will focus on why these updates are so important for strengthening enforcement. While we’ve always had enforcement abilities, we haven’t always enforced them strictly. We’ve tried to work with people, and while that approach has worked in some cases, it hasn’t been effective in others. One example of a recurring compliance issue is receiving annual inspection reports for high hazard potential dams. In Oklahoma, owners of these dams are required to hire an engineer to conduct inspections and submit reports annually. However, we often face issues with the quality of the reports, and in some cases, owners delay or skip multiple years of inspections without penalties. Historically, the most we’ve charged for late submissions is a small $50 fee. However, we’ve found this lenient approach hasn’t been enough to encourage consistent compliance. To address this, we’ve improved the language in our rules. We’ve developed a new fee schedule for different types of violations, and we’re updating our processes to go beyond just tracking deadlines in a spreadsheet and making phone calls. While fines are now part of the equation, the goal isn’t to make money. Instead, it’s to ensure owners meet their obligations and maintain the safety of their dams. This session will dive into how these updates to our procedures, combined with our enforcement tools, will help us take a more proactive approach to dam safety. With clearer guidelines and stronger enforcement, we’ll address potential issues before they become risks and foster a culture of compliance throughout the state. Our engineering team is small—just three people—so we’re doing everything we can to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and ensure compliance with our rules.