Safety |
Safety first
IWP&DC gives details of new and improved dam safety regulations, plus efforts to promote greater safety awareness among members of the public
NEW ZEALAND IS HOME to about 3300 dams but currently does not have an operative dam safety framework. Although there have not been any recorded fatalities due to dam incidents over the past 60 years, there have been 25 known events throughout the country. These recently include the floods resulting from the Makirikiri Dam (Whanganui) failure in 2013, and severe silting of the Waiau River in 2015 after the Waihi Dam’s sluice gates were damaged. Legislation in the form of the Building Act regulates dam construction in New Zealand and requires that building consent be obtained for all large dams. However, there are no regulatory requirements to ensure that dams are well maintained and regularly inspected after they have been built. In March 2021, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) announced that the government had approved policy decisions for the development of new dam safety regulations to protect people, property and the environment from potential dam failures. “Dams are an essential part of our infrastructure – for
Above: Chichester Dam in Australia. Hunter Water is using Rezatec’s Dam Monitoring technology to enhance public safety and understand dam behaviour at the 44m high structure
water supply, power generation, irrigation, mining and storm water management,” said Amy Moorhead, MBIE’s Building Policy Manager. “The Cabinet’s decision recognises the importance of ensuring this part of our infrastructure remains robust, safe and well cared for.”
Moorhead added that this will pave the way for 16 | August 2021 |
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new dam safety regulations to protect New Zealand from the potentially catastrophic impacts dam failures can have on communities, cultural sites, critical infrastructure and the natural environment. Details of the regulations are expected to be
approved later in 2021 and there will be a two-year implementation period to ensure dam owners have plenty of time to prepare for their new obligations. The regulations will be based on internationally reviewed guidelines written by the New Zealand Society on Large Dams, which have been refined following public consultation in 2019 and input from a technical working group. “These new steps to improve the maintenance and
monitoring of existing dams would not have been possible without the time, effort and expertise of the Dam Safety technical working group, comprising key sector representatives,” Moorhead said. The regulations will outline a system for identifying what dams are included in the regime, classifying a dam’s potential impact failure and prescribing the required contents of a Dam Safety Assurance Programme to promote regular monitoring and surveillance practices for their safe operation. They will apply to any dams that are: ● Four metres or higher with a volume of 20,000m3 greater, or
or
● One metre or higher with a volume of 40,000m3 greater.
or
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