The Bureau of Reclamation maintains an active dam safety program to ensure its dams do not present an unreasonable risk to people, property or the environment. Reclamation manages 492 dams throughout the 17 Western United States. The Dam Safety Program has identified 363 dams at 242 individual facilities which would like cause loss of life if they were to fail. These are the core of Reclamation's Dam Safety Program.
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Construction of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall over Stampede Dam in California. The construction is anticipated to be completed in October, 2018.

The Current
Reclamation's Biweekly Newsletter

August 24, 2018

The Bureau of Reclamation maintains an active dam safety program to ensure its dams do not present an unreasonable risk to people, property or the environment. Reclamation manages 492 dams throughout the 17 Western United States. The Dam Safety Program has identified 363 dams at 242 individual facilities which would like cause loss of life if they were to fail. These are the core of Reclamation's Dam Safety Program.

Reclamation uses risk analysis and risk assessment to make informed dam safety decisions. Reclamation manages risk at each of its facilities through a variety of recurring activities, including:

  • Instrumentation monitoring and evaluation
  • Regular visual monitoring and inspection of the facilities
  • Emergency action planning and exercises with downstream emergency management officials
  • Periodic and comprehensive reviews of the facility design, construction performance, and risk analysis

Reclamation utilizes the "Interim Dam Safety Public Protection Guidelines, August 2011" as a tool to assess the potential need for risk reduction modifications at our facilities; these are consistent with guidelines from FEMA, "Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety Risk Management 2015."

In addition to Reclamation, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for oversight and coordination of Department of the Interior Dam Safety programs and activities. These include coordination of independent review panel assessments of Interior bureau dam safety programs, and chairing the Interior working group on dam safety and security.

The Dam Safety Program annual budget is approximately $88 million. Reclamation allocates about $20 million to the recurring risk management activities, $67 million to activities related to dam safety modifications, and the remaining $1 million to Department of the Interior dam safety coordination and oversight activities.

To learn more about dam safety activities at Reclamation, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/ssle/damsafety/.

Recent News

Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman holds a fire-salvaged Reclamation seal, here with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, at Whiskeytown Lake on Aug. 12, 2018. – Bureau of Land Management courtesy photo
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was in Redding, California, this week to see impacts of the Carr Fire, including impacts to DOI public lands and facilities. Reclamation facilities, including Shasta Dam and Keswick, Carr and Spring Creek power plants,were in the thick of the fire earlier this month. Facilities were evacuated, and half of the Northern California Area Office's employees were personally evacuated from their homes. Learn More →
The drying riverbed of the Middle Rio Grande near the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The photo was taken on April 4, 2018.
In response to ongoing severe drought, the Bureau of Reclamation and partnering water management agencies have reached several agreements intended to keep the Middle Rio Grande wet through the Albuquerque reach for the remainder of this year. In 2018, Reclamation set aside $2 million to lease water from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority’s San Juan-Chama Project supply to preserve flows through the Middle Rio Grande. Learn More →
Filters in a desalination plant.
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman announced that 16 entities will receive $3.5 million for laboratory and pilot-scale research projects as part of the Desalination and Water Purification Research Program. The DWPR Program works with Reclamation researchers and partners to develop more innovative, cost-effective and technologically efficient ways to desalinate water. Learn More →
The right powerhouse of Grand Coulee Dam.
The Bureau of Reclamation has issued the final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Grand Coulee Dam G1 – G18 Generating Units Modernization and Overhaul project. Reclamation requested public review and comment on the draft EA from April 13 to May 14, 2017. In response to comments, Reclamation provided clarifications and expanded discussion in various sections in the final EA. Learn More →
An aerial photo of Kachess Dam in Washington.
To aid in successful spawning and incubation of the Chinook salmon eggs in the Yakima basin, the Bureau of Reclamation has begun its annual “flip-flop” operation. Flows out of Keechelus and Cle Elum reservoirs in the upper Yakima River basin will be gradually reduced while increasing flows from Kachess and Rimrock reservoirs. This operation will affect flows in the Tieton and Naches rivers, and Kachess Reservoir flows into Lake Easton in the upper basin. Learn More →
A picnic area with Lake Berryessa in the background.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced today three public meetings to gather feedback on Lake Berryessa’s proposed new fee program. The proposed fees would fund improvements to recreation facilities and programs, provide increased visitor services and protect natural resources at Lake Berryessa. Reclamation is seeking input on how to use collected funds. Learn More →

Dam Safety - Evolution of a Program

A link to a video discussing Reclamation's Dam Safety Program

In the spring of 1976, Teton Dam was the site of the most significant failure of a Bureau of Reclamation project in the agency's history. The failure of Teton Dam served as a catalyst for Reclamation's Dam Safety Program. For decades, Reclamation's Dam Safety Office has stood out internationally as a leader in its field. While Reclamation has always been concerned with the safety of its facilities, the failure of Teton Dam ushered in a new era of understanding and managing risk.
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