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#Post#: 2377--------------------------------------------------
FEMA's new State Dam Safety Program Manual spells the end of
unsafe Erie Canal Embankments
DIR By: Doug K
Date: February 17, 2023, 10:05 am
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If some of you reading this post are not aware, unsafe earthen &
cement dams are a REAL problem in the United States.
Much of this came to light with the recent collapse of several
dams in varied states, that revealed just how big a problem dam
safety has become in America. It's estimated that more than half
of the dams in our country are high-hazard / high risk right
now, based on risk analysis that looks at two factors: "hazard
creep" and dam condition.
Hazard Creep is defined as this: A change in hazard
classification as the result of downstream development
For the Erie Canal Embankments, with most earthen & cement dam
sections at least 100 years old, that means that creep is the
100 years of growth along the Canalway, and the fact that 75% of
the state population is located within 25 miles of the Erie main
channels.
And as expected the US Government has taken notice of unsafe
dams, especially FEMA, who also pens most of the Dam Safety &
Standards publications that are used on the Federal Level, and
with the support of the Association of State Dam Safety
Officials (ASDSO).
Under a new NATIONAL Dam Safety Program (NDSP) banner, FEMA has
just released a new Dam Safety Manual, that may become the
boilerplate for ALL STATES in AMERICA very soon. You can find
information about the NDSP here:
HTML https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/dam-safety<br
/>
[attachimg=1]
HTML https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_model-dam-safety-program.pdf
At first glance you can see that this FEMA publication already
has the seal of approval by the ASDSO, so EVERY state will
eventually be adopting this format for their own Dam Safety
Manual.
HTML https://www.damsafety.org/
This new manual includes a standardized approach to the written
documents, content of the manual and all processes related to
dam safety, from INSPECTION to Emergency Preparedness.
[attachimg=2]
HTML https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/dam-safety/about
And from the new FEMA Manual, here's the most important section
of the manual, the Chapter that defines the standards and what
should be done with EXISTING DAMS, like those that make up the
Navigation channel from Lockport to where the dug portion of the
canal system meets the central "river section" of the NYS Canal
System.
As most people are a bit too lazy to read some of these pages
completely I have highlighted the sentences or sections that
matter most to earthen type dams.
[attachimg=3]
Just a casual glance should show the reader that every community
in this country, should take local dam safety issues seriously.
The discussion is about safety, first and foremost, with an
emphasis on identifying and then removing the "hazardous
conditions" and lowering the RISK of a potential flood event.
The US Government does not believe that humans should die, or be
at risk of property loss, just because mankind has a desire to
impound water for a variety of reasons.
If you build a Dam in this Country you have to insure it's safe
construction, operation, maintenance & ongoing inspection
against Federal & State dam standards.
And as many may know, the NYS Canal Corporation has been way
ahead of the National dam safety effort, by creating their own
Embankment Integrity (Safety) Guidebook for their Earthen
Embankment Integrity Program (EEIP).
A quick review of that EEIP manual release shows that New York
State has almost modeled the FEMA level exactly, having most if
not all of the required elements.
[attachimg=4]
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/FGEIS/Final_Guide_Book_and_Attachments.pdf
More reading on Earthen Dam Risk Management here:
HTML https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/dam-safety/publications/dam-safety-warning-signs-best-practices
It certainly looks like the US Federal Government will soon have
a say in methods used to insure Dam Safety for all dams, in all
states, throughout the country, including those along the Erie
Canal, and those dams built to feed water to the NYS canal
System. They are 100 years old, some of the OLDEST dams in the
entire nation.
If anyone who uses the NYS Canal System thinks that dam safety
should be about "saving trees" and not about "saving people",
they should re-examine their ethics & humanity.
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