Colorado Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations

Challenges

Some of the most critical dam safety risks arise from unidentified or poorly understood failure modes that are difficult to detect through routine visual inspections alone. Addressing these risks requires a comprehensive evaluation that combines engineering analyses, historical records, and a systematic assessment of potential failure modes to better understand a dam’s overall risk profile.

Solution

The Colorado Office of the State Engineer’s (SEO) Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation (CDSE) Program provides a proactive, risk-informed approach to evaluating Colorado’s high-hazard dams.  The program helps dam owners and regulators make informed decisions regarding monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation.  RJH is one of three firms selected for the program, and Project Manager Tom MacDougall is one of only ten SEO-approved risk assessment facilitators.

As part of each CDSE, RJH reviews existing project records, evaluates loading conditions and potential consequences, identifies and screens potential failure modes, and facilitates a Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment (SQRA) workshop.  The objective of the SQRA workshop is to evaluate credible risks and recommend risk-reduction measures.  Each evaluation concludes with a comprehensive report documenting the analyses and recommendations.

To date, RJH has completed CDSEs for 15 dams ranging from 40 to 175 feet in height.  These projects have included zoned and homogeneous embankment dams, spillways, outlet works, and diversion structures located across Colorado under a wide range of geologic and hydrologic conditions.