Dam Failure Lesson Learned: Early Warning Systems can provide real-time information on the health of a dam, conditions during incidents, and advanced warning to evacuate ahead of dam failure flooding.

The detection of abnormal or hazardous conditions is the first step in issuing a more timely and effective warning. Early Warning Systems (EWS) allow owners and emergency response teams to provide advanced warning prior to flooding or to identify incidents that are developing at dams and levees. In addition, an EWS enables proactive action to be taken during the development stage of a potential failure which may provide time to take action to reduce the probability of imminent failure. EWS are especially valuable in situations when visual surveillance is not possible, for remote locations with access challenges, or during times when visual inspections are irregular. EWS installations can function as a non-structural risk mitigation measure until the structure can be improved to current standards. Installations have become much more affordable and reliable during recent years, especially when considering long-term value and reduced labor costs.