Dam Safety Risk Analysis and Risk Management Practice at the Bureau of Reclamation: Lessons Learned from over Two Decades of Experience

Abstract

The desire to more appropriately prioritize resources within U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and to better understand the risk posed by its dams to the public required Reclamation to move beyond a deterministic assessment of its dams. Risk assessment and risk management were viewed as a logical method to prioritize these resources for the most benefit to the public. Through research and development, Reclamation pioneered the application of risk assessment to its portfolio of 367 high hazard dams. Since the late 1990s, Reclamation has performed over 1300 quantitative and semi-quantitative risk analyses on its portfolio of dams. This paper discusses the evolution of risk analysis within Reclamation's dam safety program to its current state of practice, and some key ongoing initiatives. The focus is on the role of risk-informed decision making within the overall context of a dam safety risk management program.