Implementing Risk-Informed Decision Making in a Regulatory Dam Safety Program

Over the years, many papers and presentations have addressed the use of risk analyses and risk assessments in informing dam safety decisions. There have also been several papers espousing the benefits (and limitations) of risk analyses. Many of these papers have been written from a dam owners perspective illustrating the use of risk analysis in dam safety decisions, prioritizing potential dam safety actions and activities, and resource and budget allocation. However, not much has been written about the use of dam safety risk analyses and risk assessment from a regulatory perspective, and even less regarding implementation of risk-informed decision making in regulatory agencies and organizations charged with dam safety responsibilities.

Since 2009, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Division of Dam Safety and Inspections (D2SI) has been contemplating, evaluating, and more recently, implementing risk concepts in our dam safety program. This paper will provide a summary of the evolution and development of risk within the D2SI regulatory program, the recent implementation of risk analyses in the periodic review of projects, and a discussion of the challenges and limitations faced and overcome in implementing risk in a regulatory dam safety program.