DECEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC New dam safety information flows


Safety officers discuss new materials with dam owners


by TOM WALKER KAMLOOPS – The provincial


dam safety program wants you to get familiar with your dam. “Your dam is your partner


and you should spend time with your partner,” quipped Kevin Chan, the province’s dam safety training officer, at an October 27 workshop in Kamloops. Also present was Darren Bennett, senior dam safety officer for the Thompson region. The workshop was one of several held across BC this fall.


Being familiar with your dam, the regulations that classify your dam, and the inspection and maintenance requirements that are a result of that classification, are keys to ensuring that your dam remains structurally sound and continues to do the job. Safety of lives is the first


priority of the dam safety program, says Chan. “As a dam owner, you are


responsible for the safe operation of your dam and you need to find out what you need to know,” he says. “You may be held liable in the event that your dam fails.” And they do fail, Chan


stresses. “Dams aren’t meant to last


forever,” he says. “From the moment they are built, we can assume they are approaching failure.”


Dam failures are quite


frequent around the world, he notes, and each year sees one


or two in BC. “We don’t hear about them in mainstream media unless there are deaths and destruction, but they are recorded on our website,” he says.


Regular inspection and maintenance are key to dam longevity. “Dams are like cars; they


need regular maintenance to make them last,” Chan says. “It may cost you money, but it will extend the life of your dam.” The regulations apply to all dams across the province with the exception of minor dams (those less than 25 feet high and with a capacity of less than 10,000 cubic metres or the equivalent of four Olympic-sized swimming pools).


Dams higher than 25 feet but hold less water, or shorter than 25 feet but with a greater capacity are regulated. Dams are classified


according to the potential consequences of a failure. The five classifications described in the regulations range from low (no possibility of loss of life other than through an unforeseeable misadventure, minimal short-term effect on environmental or cultural values and minimal economic loss) to extreme (the possibility of more than 100 lives lost from a permanent population, major unrestorable loss of critical habitat, species or cultural sites, and extremely high economic losses).


The classification of a dam


Get the binder and the pocket book! Dam safety officer Darren Bennett, left, and safety training officer Kevin Chan display reading materials available to dam owners. TOM WALKER PHOTO


dictates what procedures and how often they must be followed for owners to meet their responsibilities. Dam owners must review their classification annually to see if it has changed. They must notify their local dam safety officer if the classification has changed and, if it has, change their procedures accordingly.


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