Dam Resilience Decisio n Support Toolbox

Dam systems are generally considered in terms of structural components (e.g., embankments, storage, and spillways) with a focus on the populations at risk (PAR) and damages to the downstream community in the event of a failure. While these components and consequences are critical pieces of design and risk analysis, the resilience of dams is a multi-dimensional and cross-sector issue which extends across the contributing watershed and to downstream and neighboring communities connected by economy or critical function. Many of these vital community functions, such as social infrastructure, supply chains, or critical facilities are prone to disruptions during dam breach events and are not typically analyzed, communicated, or quantified as part of standard dam breach assessments. Improving the resilience of dam systems requires systems thinking and collaborative, public and private action to ensure that critical functions across the watershed and connected communities are maintained and improved. The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) is developing a decision support framework to support iterative and prioritized decision making and agility in the face of climate change, increasing development, and the compounding and cascading impacts possible involving dam safety scenarios.